Reigning Class 7A champion Central-Phenix City scored the first seven runs of the game and went on to a 9-4 victory at Enterprise in the deciding Game 3 of its Class 7A quarterfinal series.

The Red Devils (32-9) advance to face area rival Smiths Station in next week’s state semifinals. The Panthers swept Baker in their quarterfinal matchup.

Central scored four runs in the first and two in the second and then added single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to grab the win. The Red Devils led 9-1 before Enterprise scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

MORE HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Smiths Station sweeps Baker

Thompson edges Bob Jones

Landon Beaver went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for Central. Carson Gilley and Jax Yoxtheimer each had two hits. Yoxtheimer, Preston Bedford, Carson Page and Blake Schneeberger all had RBIs.

Hunter Wippert went 5.2 innings, allowing four unearned runs on seven hits. Brody Stamp pitched the final 1.1 innings. Brady Cavanaugh, the first of four Enterprise pitchers, took the loss. Brady Richardson had two hits for the Wildcats.

CLASS 5A

Demopolis 4, St. Paul’s 2 (8 innings)

Demopolis finally completed a two-day, two-pitcher one-hit win over homestanding St. Paul’s to take a 1-0 series lead in the 5A quarterfinals. Jake Bumgarner and Josh Holley combined to strike out 14 batters and allow one hit in the extra-inning thriller.

Rain washed out Friday’s game, but not before Bumgarner went five innings with eight strikeouts. He worked his way out of a first-inning jam leaving runners on first and third with one out.

Holley struck out six of the nine batters he faced to pick up the win.

Seventh-ranked St. Paul’s lone hit of the game was a leadoff single by Edward McLeod. He scored two batters later on a wild pitch. Taylor O’Dell got the Saints’ other run on a passed ball after reaching base on an error.

The Tigers (17-10) also scored in the first after Kevin McElroy singled on a hard line drive to left field, scoring Montgomery Freeman. St. Paul’s pitcher John Stowers retired the next three hitters to avoid any more damage.

Freeman added a two-out single in the fourth inning to push Demopolis to a 2-0 lead, scoring Mac Bradley.

Mac Bradley and McElroy had a pair of hits apiece for the Tigers.

When the game resumed Saturday, the Tigers loaded the bases with two outs against St. Paul’s pitcher O’Dell on a walk and two singles. Bradley reached base for a third time in the game with a full-count walk, scoring Coleman Fuqua. Reed Schumacher got an RBI hit-by-pitch to drive in Caleb Cobb.

The Saints went down in order in the bottom of the eighth. St. Paul’s (24-9) was unable to take advantage of five walks and three errors by the Tigers in the game.

Demopolis, winners of seven of its last eight games, and St. Paul’s will play Games 2 and 3 on Monday at 3 p.m. in Mobile.

– John Vella

AHSAA SATURDAY PLAYOFF SCORES

CLASS 7A

Central-Phenix City 9, Enterprise 4, Central-Phenix City (31-9) advances

Smiths Station 6, Baker 1, Smiths Station (25-14-1) advances

Thompson 6, Bob Jones 5, Thompson (36-6) advances

CLASS 6A

Spanish Fort 12, Saraland 11 in 8 innings, Spanish Fort (27-15) advances

CLASS 5A

Boaz 4, Arab 1, Boaz (23-13) advances

Demopolis 4, St. Paul’s 2 (Games 2 and 3, if necessary, Monday)

Holtville 12, Headland 2, Holtville (24-13) advances

CLASS 3A

Houston Academy 5, Prattville Christian 2, Houston Academy (23-7) advances

St. James 13, Providence Christian 3, St. James (21-13) advances