Josh Patterson earned the win on the mound and drove in four runs as May River beat visiting Timberland 12-4 in its Class 3A playoff opener Tuesday.
Patterson struck out six and allowed two runs and three hits over four innings, and he was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and four RBIs at the plate.
Tater Goodson was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and scored three times, and Cooper George was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs for the Sharks. Jeffrey Hodge and Andrew Perez each added two hits and an RBI.
Elijah Peter nailed down the save for the Sharks, allowing two runs and four hits over three innings with five strikeouts.
The Sharks (19-4) will host Gilbert on Thursday in the second round of the double-elimination District VIII tournament.