Corner’s Brodie Dunlap blasted a pair of two-run bombs and Eli Cannon earned a complete-game victory as the third-ranked Yellow Jackets swept a doubleheader over defending Class 4A champion Etowah, 5-4 and 9-1, in Thursday’s playoff matchup in Warrior.

“Our guys battled through a lot of adversity,” Corner coach Caleb Hoyle said. “When we figured out how to win the first one, we had all the momentum we needed going into Game 2. If we show up, we got a shot.”

Corner (26-6) carried its Game 1 energy into the nightcap and surged to a 5-0 lead after four innings. The Blue Devils went up 1-0 in the second as Cole Rasbury led off the frame with a single before being brought home by Carson Hurley on a single.

Dunlap punctured the atmosphere in the third on a two-run bomb and Hurley and Daven Lee scored in the fourth on a wild pitch and passed ball, respectively. Lee scored again in the fifth on an error.

Following Etowah’s only run, scored on a single by Cash Hayes in the bottom half of the fifth, Dunlap sent his second two-run homer to the skies to put the Yellow Jackets up 8-1 entering the final inning.

“He’s seeing it really well right now,” Hoyle said. “He’s very strong to where if he can get the bat to it, it’s got a chance to get out of ballpark at any moment.”

Eli Cannon added the last run on a single in the seventh and went the distance on the mound, allowing one run on two hits and striking out four and walking two in the complete-game victory. He sat the Etowah side down in order to end the nightcap and send the Yellow Jackets to the third round.

“The infield tonight was amazing,” Cannon said. “They were rolling up ground balls and getting it done. Got to have the bats too and Brodie had those two homers. This is what makes it fun and makes playoff baseball the best.”

Etowah (20-14) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning in Game 1, but the Yellow Jackets rallied for three runs in the next two innings to grab a 3-2 advantage heading into the sixth. The Blue Devils scored twice as Bodie Bennett stole home and pinch runner Bradley Pleger scored on an error.

Corner recaptured the lead in the bottom of the sixth on back-to-back singles from Rasbury and Max Hill. Etowah’s Slade St. Clair led off the final inning on a single, but Brendan Conner forced three straight outs to close out the opener.

“Coming back this year, after what they did to us last year, it’s amazing,” Dunlap said.

Star of the Game: Dunlap. The senior UAB signee was only 1-for-2 with a single in his first at-bat in the opener but went 2-of-4 in the nightcap while drilling a pair of two-run homers off two separate Etowah pitchers.

“The second one was high and outside. I just threw my hands at it and completely hit it dead-center. I don’t even know how I did it. I got my hands into it and it just went.”

Stat sheet: Corner – Carson Hurley was 3-of-3 in the doubleheader with an RBI single and double, and Rasbury went 3-of-7 with an RBI single in the nightcap. Cannon, who earned the Game 2 win in a full seven innings of work, was 2-of-5 with a one-run single in the nightcap. Lee was 2-of-2 in Game 2 with a single and a double. Etowah – Bennett and Hayes registered the only two hits for the Devils in the nightcap, the latter plating the only run, and St. Clair went 3-of-4 in the opener. Jameson Scissum was 1-of-3 with an RBI double in Game 1 and took the loss in Game 2, allowing five runs on nine hits while collecting three strikeouts.

Coachspeak: “When we went down 2-0, it could have been easy to pack it in there. We stayed the course, fought through and figured out the plate. Cannon has been dominant on the mound, but the guys behind him make the routine plays.” — Corner’s Caleb Hoyle

“We had a good season. It’s tough, people don’t realize, just getting to the playoffs and being able to get to this round. We’ve been fortunate the last two years to get to the finals and win one last year. Some of these guys, this is all they know. Corner played a hell of a series, but we fought and I’m proud of what they’ve done.” — Etowah’s Blake Bone

What’s next: Corner advances to face either No. 8 Deshler or Asheville in the third round of the AHSAA Class 4A playoffs.