No. 3 Bayside Academy and No. 6 UMS-Wright will need one more game to decide who plays for the Class 4A state baseball title next week.

The two Area 1 rivals split the first two games of their semifinal series on Wednesday in Daphne with Bayside winning 9-0 in the opener behind Josh Gunther and UMS bouncing back to win 7-4 in the nightcap.

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Game 3 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday with the winner advancing to play Etowah or St. John Paul II for the state title next week in Oxford/Jacksonville.

“It’s two good baseball teams, and we both really want to advance,” UMS coach Kevin Raley said. “It should be a really good game. We will line up tomorrow at 5 and see what happens.”

Bayside (25-10) took control in Game 1 behind Gunther. The Wake Forest signee pitched six shutout innings, striking out eight and walking four. He scattered four hits on 102 pitches. Gatlin Pitts pitched the final inning.

“He would tell you he didn’t have his best stuff today, fell behind early in some counts,” Bayside coach Matt Limbaugh said of Gunther. “What has made him so good is he can still battle and help you win a ballgame, and that’s what he did today.”

Jake DeValk and Cade Morris both homered for the Admirals. Morris, DeValk and Pitts combined for six hits and eight RBIs. Gunther also had two hits.

Sutton Snypes took the loss for the Bulldogs (26-12). South Alabama football signee Cole Blaylock went 3-for-3.

“Gunther was really good in the first game,” Raley said. “He’s been good all year. He’s one of the best we’ve seen.”

UMS bounced back in Game 2. The Bulldogs broke a 3-3 tie with single runs in the fourth and fifth and two more in the sixth. Logan Norris went 2-for-2 and drove in three runs. John Ramsay also had two hits. Blaylock and Olin Ward added RBIs.

“UMS is a very good team,” Limbaugh said. “We knew that going in. They did a good job responding after getting down. They played a heck of a game two, and we have to bounce back and try to win Game 3.”

Alex Sherman and Andy Purvis kept UMS in the game on the mound. Sherman started and went 3.1 innings, allowing three runs. Purvis pitched the final 3.2, allowing a run on three hits.

“Alex has been good all year,” Raley said. “Andy has been good. This is the longest he has thrown in relief, but we’ve extended him in practice some thinking this might happen. I thought he did a heck of a job. Alex didn’t have really good stuff, but he kept us in the game.”

Bayside won two of three games in the regular-season series against UMS-Wright.

In the other 4A semifinal series, Etowah defeated St. John Paul II 9-3 in Game 1. Game 2 was postponed until Thursday due to weather.