By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

HURLEY — And it all comes down to this.

Vancleave evened its Class 5A South State semifinal series up with arch-rival East Central at one game apiece Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 shutout on the road in game two. Each team has now won a road game apiece in the three game series, after the Hornets registered a 4-1 win in Vancleave Friday night in the opener.

Now, the two old and familiar foes will face off for the sixth time this season on Monday night back in Vancleave in the rubber match with the season on the line for both squads. 

On Saturday, the Bulldogs followed the standout pitching performance from Tyler West to the important bounce back win. Facing the two-time and back-to-back Class 5A state champions on their home field with his teams season on the brink of elimination, West went the distance in picking up the win striking out six and scattering five hits and walking just one in the dominant outing.

West provided himself all of the support he would need in the top of the third frame, when a two-run, two-out rally snapped a scoreless tie.

After Hornet starter Fisher Strickler got two quick outs, Hunter Parker drew a walk and West stepped up next and whacked an RBI-triple to right to score Parker. Hunter Harper followed that with a run-scoring single, and VHS had a 2-0 lead it would never relinquish.

Thanks mainly to West, the score stayed that way until the top of the seventh when Bulldog catcher Layton Eder completed the scoring with a solo home run to make it 3-0.

Harper had two hits to pace VHS at the plate in the eight-hit winning attack, while Asher Henley had a double to give the Bulldogs a trio of extra base knocks including West’s Triple and Eder’s round-tripper.

Nate Trochessett had two hits, including a double, and Tony Tanner also had two hits for the Hornets. 

Strickler took the loss with four frames of work.

In Game one on Friday night, the Hornets struck a blow first with that 4-1 win.

East Central jumped out to a 4-0 lead after four frames, thanks to single run in the third and a three spot in the fourth.

Payton Youngblood led ECHS offensively with a pair of hits including an RBI-double, and Trochessett also chipped in a run-scoring double to the winning effort.

Brody Long worked six stanzas for ECHS to pick up the pitching win.

Harper collected a game-high three hits, including a triple, to pace VHS as it out-hit the Hornets 8-6 in the loss. Martin Shaw drove in the only VHS run.

Harper went the distance and took the loss for the Bulldogs.