By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

VANCLEAVE — Defending Class 5A state champion Vancleave kept its quest for back-to-back titles alive in almost inexplicable fashion Monday night.

The home-standing Bulldogs rallied from two big deficits of five and four runs runs each to pull out a 10-9 win over Brookhaven in eight innings and take the best of three series two games to one.

The decision moves first-year head coach Zac Haarala’s crew into the Class 5A South State semifinal against South Jones later this week.

“Man, what a roller coaster of emotions that was and a fantastic high school baseball game,” Haarala said. “That game was the definition of a complete team win. From the guys on the field to the guys in the dugout, everybody brought something to the table. We could have easily packed it in when we got down early in the game but we chose to be gritty and resilient instead and fight our way back to win the game. I’m extremely proud of our guys.”

Brookhaven jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the third off Vancleave pitchers Carter Doze and Tony Craven. Dreamus Harron provided the big blow for the Panthers with a three-run double in. the second and Demetricus Nelson added a solo home run in the early innings outburst.

But the Bulldogs got three runs back in the fourth on a two-run home run from Martin Shaw and an RBI-single by Aidan Tapp to make it 7-5. Max Bates had an RBI-double earlier in the game for VHS.

Brookhaven stretched the back to 9-5 in the top of the fifth on a two-run double by Mason White.

Colson Furby’s two-run home run in the bottom of the frame cut the deficit back to two at 9-7.

Shaw’s RBI-single in the sixth stanza made it 9-8, and four batters and two outs later he scored on a passed ball to knot the situation up at 9-9.

Two innings later, Shaw singled to lead off the bottom of the eighth and scored the walk-off, game-winning run on Dane McElroy’s RBI-sacrifice fly.

Tapp had a game-high four hits to lead the Bulldogs at the plate, and Shaw collected three hits and a game-high three RBIs in the winning effort.

Bates hurled the final three frames to earn the win.