Bayshore Christian coach Jeff Hauge admitted that Friday’s second game against visiting Thorsby got a little scary in the final inning.

The Rebels scored four runs and brought the tying run to the plate in a game that looked like it was headed toward a blowout.

“They came out swinging the bats there in the seventh and made us nervous,” Hauge said.

However, Ben Whiteside got the final outs, preserving a 9-7 Bayshore victory and a Class 2A first-round sweep of Thorsby. The Eagles (14-12) won Game 1, 4-0.

“It’s great to get two wins,” Hauge said. “I felt like our competitive spirit was real solid today. We got after it. Thorsby is a very good ballclub. They came in with a very good record, and our guys had to step it up and make some plays today.

“We got two great starts from Jack Malone and Braden Preus and our relief pitching came in and got the job done for us. Two-out hits and two-strike hits were very important for us in having success today.”

Preus pitched 4.1 innings on his 18th birthday in the nightcap to get the win. He allowed four hits and two runs and struck out six. Jace Jones got the final two outs of the fifth and Whiteside closed it out.

Malone pitched all seven innings in Game 1, allowing just two hits and striking out eight. He walked two.

“I felt good out there,” Malone said. “Obviously, a playoff game, I came out there and I was a little nervous, but once it starts that goes away. Guys made some good plays on defense for me today. All around, it was a good day.”

The Eagles scored single runs in the first and second innings of Game 1 and added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jones had two hits and an RBI. Cory Parker also had two hits.

In Game 2, Bayshore scored in every inning except the fourth and led 9-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh. Collier Price had an RBI single for Thorsby, while Bayshore committed a pair of errors that cut the lead to 9-7.

JT Green led the Rebels (20-11) with two hits and three RBIs. Aiden Seeley and Price each had three hits. Jones, Malone, Parker and Jack Wheeler all had a pair of hits for the Eagles.

The win sends Bayshore, which won the 1A state title in both 2021 and 2022 before being moved up by competitive balance, to face No. 2 G.W. Long in a second-round series next weekend. G.W. swept Aliceville in its first-round series.

“They are a tradition-rich program,” Hauge said. “They are always a great team. Drew Miller does a phenomenal job. They are always prepared, always hungry to win. We need to go up there and play real solid baseball to have a chance to move on.”