A two-out, four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning — incited by a clutch two-run homer from Leland Stotesberry — rekindled Terra Ceia’s hopes at winning its first playoff game in team history Tuesday evening. But after the Knights stranded the winning run on third in the bottom of the eighth, Shannon Forest capitalized in the ninth, taking Round 1 of the NCISAA 1-A state playoffs, 9-7, and eliminating the host Terra Ceia.

Loss aside, the improbable four-run comeback marks the second time in a week the Knights have erased a significant deficit in the bottom of the seventh. In the second round of the Tarheel Independent Conference Tournament, down 7-3, the Knights rallied for five runs for a walk-off win.

“It’s a testament to this team’s character,” said head coach Jason Wynne. “I’ve been around baseball for many years and I haven’t seen many teams come back from four runs down twice in a week. It’s just a testament to the kids believing in what we can do.”

The No. 11-seeded Shannon Forest, of Greenville, S.C., entered with a 14-7 record, finishing third in the highly competitive Carolina Conference, a table that features three 3-A teams and two 2-A teams, the Crusaders being the lone 1-A school. With a team ERA of 5.04, Shannon Forest compensates for the lack of pitching with a powerful lineup, headlined by Ben McGrey, a senior who boasts a .568 average and 24 RBIs.

Batting cleanup, McGrey had an immediate impact against Terra Ceia and ace Austin Roscoe, depositing a fastball over the wall in left-center in the first inning with a runner on, giving Shannon Forest a quick two-run advantage.

But in the bottom half of the frame, Roscoe had an answer of his own, turning on an inside pitch and crushing a homer to left field. And after a hit batter and a walk in the second inning, Wesley Butcher, the Knights’ lone senior, blooped a single into the gap in left to tie the game at two, although two base running blunders prevented any further runs.

“There was a couple of miscues that we had early and it’s what I always tell the guys, when you play playoff-caliber teams, they’re going to capitalize on miscues,” Wynne said. “We have to learn that when we play against good teams, you can’t make those small mistakes because they’re going to show up at the end.”

McGrey, who pitched the first four innings, limited the Knights to just three runs, while relief man Warner Watkins took a 3-3 game into the sixth inning.

But after Roscoe intentionally walked McGrey with one out in the top of the frame, Andrew Duwe swung at the first pitch he saw and lined a double to left, placing two runners in scoring position for Shannon Forest. McGrey scored on an infield single and Braden Tuttle drove in two on a double to the fence in center, as the visitors now held a 6-3 lead.

After retiring the side in the sixth, Shannon Forest tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh to make it a 7-3 game, but the Knights would respond. With one out, Roscoe was hit in the arm and stole second base. However, Austin Wynne followed with a strikeout.

From there, Quentin Van Essendelft singled, scoring Roscoe, and Tyler Hendrix singled, scoring Van Essendelft after the ball got behind the right fielder. With the deficit now cut in half and the tying run at the plate, Stotesberry connected with a fastball and tied the game with one swing, shocking the Shannon Forest fielders, the coaching staff and the fans.

In the bottom of the eighth, an error at shortstop, a single by Kendal Bowen and an intentional walk to Roscoe quickly loaded the bases with no outs, putting the winning run in striking distance for the Knights. But this time, it was Walker and the Crusaders defense that came up big, escaping the inning unscathed after a nice play at third and two shallow fly outs.

Sophomore Tyler Hendrix came on to pitch the ninth for Terra Ceia, but two hard-hit singles, supplemented by a throwing error from the catcher, resulted in two runs for Shannon Valley, runs that ultimately proved to be the difference down the stretch.

Walker picked up the win for Shannon Valley, while McGrey finished 4-for-4 at the plate.

“They’ve got some big kids, but McGrey is as advertised,” Wynne said. “That kid wasn’t spot on as the pitcher, but he made a couple nice plays at third, cut the ball off and made a play at home. We put him on base, he hit a home run, we tried to pitch away from him and he still got base hits. He’s the real deal, just a great ballplayer.”

With the loss, Terra Ceia caps off its best season in team history at 15-6 and will graduate just one senior in May.

Shannon Valley advances to Round 2 of the playoffs, where the Crusaders will face No. 3-seeded Oakwood (15-3) on Saturday in Greenville, N.C.

“It makes you feel good to know how our program has grown,” Wynne said. “What we came from to what we are now is night and day … I challenge those kids to be hungry. Don’t be complacent and say, ‘Ok, we made the state playoffs and that’s as good as we are.’ We have some potential to turn some heads next year as well.”