Coverstone was on second base as the winning run with two outs when designated hitter Seth Stiefel came to the plate. Stiefel sneaked a ball past the shortstop and into left field. Coverstone was halfway to home plate before tripping and falling, which made him go back to third.
The centerfielder injured his shoulder on the play, but stayed in the game to score the winning run.
“It was a great feeling to help my team win,” Coverstone said. “It was a great team effort and a great moment.”
Anna was down 12-7 in the final inning, and the Rockets had to mount multiple comebacks to stay in the game. Carter Elliott earned the win, and Zach White and Nathan Frilling both went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
Northeastern’s Aaron Phillips threw 6 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs while striking out seven. Phillips was 2-for-5 with two RBIs, and Connor Obee, Bo Davis and Garrett Peters each went 3-for-4.
Northeastern started the slugfest with two runs in the top of the first, and Anna responded with a run of its own in the bottom half.
Anna took its first lead in the third with a one-run double from Stiefel. The ball carried to the bottom of the centerfield fence, allowing Coverstone to score, which gave Anna a 4-3 lead.
The Rockets extended their lead in the fourth with a White RBI on a fielder’s choice. At the end of the fourth, Anna led 5-3.
In the fifth, the Jets’ bats came alive. Phillips started the scoring with an RBI triple. A fielder’s choice allowed Alex Lockwood to score, giving Northeastern the lead back, 6-5. The Jets batted around and owned a 7-5 advantage after five.
The Jets scored two more runs in the sixth, giving Northeastern a 9-5 lead.
Anna answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Frilling hit a blooper that fell into center field, driving in the two runs.
In the seventh, the Jets added insurance runs and looked to have slammed the door on Anna’s sectional championship hopes. Dylon Hand had an RBI single and later scored from third thanks to Mac Davis getting into a pickle between first and second.
Bo Davis knocked in Davis on a sharp single, which extended Northeastern’s lead to 12-7.
Anna batted around in the final inning in what became an improbable comeback. The Rockets scored all six of their runs in the inning with two outs.
The Rockets will face the winner of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Bethel-Tate on Friday night.
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