Gardendale’s Bryson Barnes smacked a three-run home run and Cullman’s Tucker Cagle threw a two-hit shutout as the Rockets and Bearcats spit a playoff doubleheader in Thursday’s Class 6A quarterfinal matchup at Cullman’s Bill Shelton Field.

The Rockets (25-12) grabbed a 6-2 victory in the opening game and Cullman forced a decisive third game with a 3-0 win in the nightcap.

“It’s a tough place to play,” Gardendale coach Ryan Keedy said. “They got a good crowd and we brought a good crowd. It was fun to be around.”

Cullman struck early with four consecutive singles to open the first game of the series, scoring two runs, but was held scoreless the remainder of the contest. Elijah Hayes led off the Inning and scored on an error and Cagle brought Paxton Ponder home on an RBI single.

“We were stunned for a minute,” Keedy said. “We couldn’t field a bunt, they got a hit and we threw it away. The wheels were starting to unravel. It was a good job by our guys to battle back and compete.”

Gardendale responded in the top half of the second inning with four runs off three hits, including two home runs. Cooper Jarvis cut the lead in half on a one-out solo homer and Barnes cleaned up the order with a three-run shot that brought in Connor Hensley and Carson Burdette.

“It was just a fastball down the middle,” Barnes said. “Coach told me to stay through the ball and hit it. That’s basically it.”

The Rockets would add two more runs in the last two Innings, scoring on RBI singles from Barnes and Hensley, and Cullman went down in order in the final inning.

Gardendale’s Burdette was 0-for-1 but was walked twice, hit by a pitch twice and scored a run. Junior pitcher Logan Fitzgerald earned the complete game win by allowing two runs off eight hits while collecting three strikeouts.

“Really proud of Logan,” Keedy said. “He did what he’s done all postseason, went out there and gave us a chance. Competed.”

Cullman (22-20) once more scored first to open the second game with Ponder reaching on an error, and added another run in the ensuing Inning as Ponder brought home Cody Jones on an RBI single. The Bearcats scored an insurance run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Ponder. Senior Tucker Cagle earned the victory on the bump in the nightcap.

“After losing Game 1, which we knew very possible that’d we have to go to three games, it’s nice to know that you’ve got your ace on the mound to get it to Game 3,” Cullman coach Brent Patterson said. “He did what you want your No. 1 or bulldog to do. He put the team on his back and was really good tonight against a fantastic lineup.”

Gardendale’s Ty McGraw, a Troy University commitment, was chased after four innings and tagged with the loss, allowing two runs off six hits. He did collect five strikeouts. Jarvis was the only Rocket to register a hit (2-of-2) against Cullman in Game 2.

“It wasn’t our night in Game 2,” Keedy said. “I feel OK about Game 3. Guys are in good spirits as much as you can be dropping a playoff game. I think we’ll be all right. I like us.”

For the Bearcats, Hayes went 3-for-4 with three singles and Ponder was also 3-of-4, but with two singles and a double while posting two RBIs and a run scored.

Cagle posted a shutout with only two hits with seven strikeouts and faced 23 batters total – sitting the first six batters down in order and pitching four perfect innings. He allowed only three baserunners while his defense turned a 6-4-3 double-play in the third inning.

“I had good stuff and knew I had good stuff coming in,” Cagle said. “They’re a good baseball team. I figured ‘Let them hit it, see what my defense can do’ and they got the job done.”

Gardendale’s Keedy said, “That’s a team that’s won a whole lot of baseball games the past 20 years. Any time you play them, you know what you’re going to get. They’re going to get after you and compete until the last pitch.”

The deciding Game 3 between Cullman and Gardendale is set for 6 p.m. on Friday. The winner will face No. 1 Oxford in the semifinals. The Yellow Jackets swept No. 2 Hartselle on the road on Thursday.