By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

HURLEY — While one Jackson County prep baseball squad opened its Class 5A South State semifinal series with a win Friday night, yet another has its back to the wall.

East Central let one slip away on the road in Florence as the Eagles rallied from a 3-1 deficit to pull out a 5-4 win in eight innings in game one of a best-of-three affair. The Hornets now must win Monday night at home in Hurley to force a third and deciding game back in Florence Tuesday night.

Both teams tallied a run in the first frame, including an RBI-single by Anthony Tanner to put the Hornets up briefly 1-0.

Tied up at 1-1 entering the top of the fifth, East Central pushed across a pair of runs to take a 3-1 lead thanks to an RBI-double by Tanner and a run-scoring ground out off the bat of Jackson Cripps.

The Eagles responded with a solo run in the bottom of the inning to cut it to 3-2, and the scored two more runs in the sixth to take a brief 4-3 lead.

But East Central got an RBI-single from Cripps in the top of the seventh to force the extra session.

With one out and one on in the bottom of the eighth, Tanner, who relieved Hornet starter Porter Martin to start the sixth, issued two straight walks and then plunked Brian Griffin with a pitch as the Eagles won in walk-off fashion.

Tanner took the loss. He and Cripps drove in two runs apiece, and Tanner collected a game-high three hits including that key double. Gage Demazio also had a double.

The winer of this series will face the survivor of the Vancleave-South Jones series later this week in the Class 5A South State championship series. The Bulldogs won game one Friday 1-0. Game two is set for Ellisville Monday night.