It’s been more than two decades, but the Vestavia Hills baseball program is back where it rightfully belongs.

In the Promised Land and playing for a Blue Map.

Jable Ramey and Ryan Vermillion combined for two pitching gems and pinch hitter Luke Swanzy hit a two-out, two-run single in the nightcap as the fourth-ranked Rebels ground their way to a doubleheader sweep of No. 1 Thompson, 3-2 and 3-2, in Friday’s Class 7A semifinal in Alabaster.

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“Jable Ramey and Ryan Vermillion have been absolute bulldogs for us all year long,” Vestavia Hills coach Jamie Harris said. “On the biggest stage, under the brightest lights and in the biggest moments, they were bulldogs once again.”

“I’m not surprised,” he added. “We needed that kind of effort. We get blown out (in Game 1), who cares? You still got to win two games.

Vestavia Hills (32-10) advances to the state title game for the first time since the 2000 season – the final year of a 12-year dynasty that included 11 championship appearances, seven straight championships from 1994-2000 and nine total titles under former coach Sammy Dunn.

“That is where this program belongs in our opinion,” Harris, a 1996 graduate of Vestavia Hills, said. “We have nothing but respect for Thompson and all the programs in our area. Obviously, this program means the world to me. I played here and my coaching staff played here — we’re from here and live here. This is where Vestavia baseball belongs but the job is not done. Getting there is not good enough for us.”

The Rebels trailed 2-0 following the top half of the third inning in Game 2, Thompson scoring on a two-out, two-run single from Tucker Arrington, but responded to tie the game on their side of the frame.

William Cox and William Peerson struck out to lead off the bottom of the third and Grant Downey and Auburn University signee Chris Johnston reached safely on consecutive singles. With two outs and two on base, Samford University signee Jackson Harris and UAB commit John Paul Head brought home the former on back-to-back RBI singles.

Still tied heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Jacksonville State University signee Hunter Walburn and Mason Perrigo were walked to open the frame and Cox scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single.

Ramey earned the win for the Rebels, allowing two earned runs off six hits and walking and striking out one each, and Vermillion came in for the save and allowed a single hit while striking out the final batter to close out the Game 2 victory.

“We fill up the strike zone every time we go out there and trust the defense behind us,” Ramey said.

With only 13 pitches under his belt and 107 at his disposal, Vermillion took the mound in the deciding Game 3 and earned the complete-game win by allowing two earned runs off eight hits and striking out six.

“This whole team — this whole journey — is special,” Vermillion said. “Going on that mound in a close game like that is about the most fun I’ve had in my entire life. Jable pounded the zone and gave us an extra win. I was grateful to come in and close the door. We’re going to stay locked in and we know the job isn’t finished. Let’s go win the whole dang thing.”

Thompson (37-8) jumped on top 2-0 in the bottom half of the first frame, grabbing four hits and leaving two runners stranded, but was only able to muster four hits while stranding five runners in the final six innings.

Troy University commit Drake McBride got on base with a two-out single, followed by a Tucker Arrington double, and Miles Mitchell and University of Montevallo signee Zach Wyatt gave the Warriors the lead on consecutive RBI singles.

The Rebels cut into the lead in the top half of the third inning, scoring on an RBI single by Walburn, and went ahead 3-2 in the fifth on clutch at-bats that set the table for Swanzy.

“Just a hunch,” Harris said. “He’s a fearless kid. He’s always been a good player and never afraid of the moment.”

Swanzy, who missed last season after receiving a bone-marrow transplant, was called up to pinch-hit for Caden Taylor with two outs and two runners on base and drove a hard-liner into right field for the go-ahead two-run single and a 3-2 lead.

“I was sitting in the dugout and I didn’t even have time to think it happened so fast,” Swanzy said. “I kept telling myself, ‘I got this. These are the moments that I was made for.’ I saw two pitches and the next one was middle-in and I got my bell-head out in front of it.”

Thompson’s Ben Pearman was pulled after 4.2 innings of work, taking the loss and allowing three runs — one earned — off four hits and walking five and striking out four, and Wyatt closed out the game by allowing two hits and striking out five. The Warriors got two runners on base in the final frame, on a lead-off single and an error, but McBride grounded into a 5-3 double-play to end the series.

“It’s about time we made it,” Ramey said. “It’s been 20 years and we’re not done so we’re going to win that Blue Map.”