Pitchers Aiden Poe of Vincent High School and Phenix Griffin of Ariton waited patiently more than two hours and made a venue change 19 miles from Oxford’ Choccolocco Park to Jacksonville State University’s Rudy Abbott Field Monday night to start the opening game of the Class 2A State Baseball Championship Series.

The wait was worth it for the loyal fans who made the trip as well.

RELATED: Appalachian pounds Brantley

Both pitchers hurled outstanding game with Ariton (30-12-2) punching across single runs in the top of the sixth and seventh innings to grab a 2-1 win to take a 1-0 edge into into Tuesday. Game 2 is scheduled for 4 p.m. at JSU. A third game would follow if Vincent wins Game 2.

Ariton’s Caden Collier was 3-for-3 with the game-winning hit in the top of the seventh, scoring Paxton Steed with the go-ahead run.

Poe (11-2) helped his own cause early, striking out the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters in Ariton’s lineup after yielding back-to-back singles to Collier and Griffin in the top of the first inning. He then delivered a run-scoring double down the left-field line in the bottom of the second to put the Yellow Jackets (30-6) on top 1-0.

Poe cruised until the top of the sixth when he came up against the top of Ariton’s order again. Collier opened with an infield single but was thrown out at second by Coe on Griffin’s sacrifice bunt try. Third baseman Connor Thrash then drilled a towering double to center field to plate Griffin and tie the game at 1-1. Poe then got out of the inning without any more damage.

Griffin, who allowed one hit through the first five innings, gave up an infield single to lead-off batter Zac Carlisle. A passed ball moved him to second. Griffin (6-3) then hit Cason Fields and the Jackets had runners on first and second with no outs. He got out of the jam, however, and finished the game allowing just two hits, walked two and struck out six to get the win.

Poe, who had 115 strikeouts and just three walks over 84 innings coming into the game, struck out eight and walked none to finish with 123 whiffs and only three walks on the year.

Collier was the only player in the game for either side with more than one hit. Ariton stranded six men on base. Vincent stranded only three.

The game, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Choccolocco Park, started at 9:15 p.m. and was moved to Jacksonville State after weather delayed the day’s first game between Appalachian and Brantley for four hours.

— AHSAA reports