A battle of top five teams in Class 6A was anything but as advertised.

Vestavia Hills lit up the scoreboard as the fourth-ranked Rebels cruised to a doubleheader sweep, 5-2 and 13-2, of No. 3 Spain Park in Friday’s quarterfinal matchup at Sammy Dunn Field.

Vestavia Hills (30-9) advances to face the winner of Bob Jones and Thompson next week in the Class 7A semifinals.

“We played well all year and have a really good team,” Vestavia Hills coach Jamie Harris said. “It’s a really good senior class. We’ve known this group was going to be good. Really proud of guys while also hurting for the Spain Park guys.”

The Rebels took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame of the first game, scoring on a solo home run from UAB commit John Paul Head, who went 1-for-1 while reaching safely on two walks and a fielder’s choice.

“Our greatest strength is every single person in the lineup can develop runs and get extra base hits,” Head said. “I tried to stay on time (with the home run). I thought it was a pop-up and it just kept going and going and going.”

Spain Park tied it up in the top of the fourth inning on a solo homer by Matthew Widra, but allowed the Rebels to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double from Samford University signee Jackson Harris. Auburn University signee Chris Johnston scored on the play.

The Jaguars tied the game once more in the sixth inning as Clay Spencer scored on an RBI groundout by Ryan Cole.

Vestavia Hills answered definitively in the bottom half of the inning with three runs before ending Spain Park’s final threat in the seventh.

Lipscomb University signee Jacob Tobias, who was in relief for starter Lucas Thornton, walked two straight batters before Jacksonville State signee Hunter Walburn crushed a line drive to left field for a three-run double in giving the Rebels a 5-2 lead.

“Everybody is doing their roles right now,” Walburn said. “We’re doing a great job of coming together as a team.”

Tobias took the loss in allowing three runs off two hits while issuing three walks. Thornton allowed two runs off six hits in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Aiden Black started the first game for the Rebels, allowing one run off six hits while collecting three strikeouts, and Jacksonville State University signee Ryan Vermillion earned the win by allowing one run off one hit in three innings of work.

Vestavia Hills took no chances in the nightcap as the Rebels scored four runs in the opening inning and chased Spain Park starter Chris Gross after one complete inning.

Gross led off the game with two straight walks and a sacrifice fly from Head moved both runners into scoring position. Walburn drove in Johnston on a single before William Tonsmeire was walked to load the bases.

Following a flyout by Luke Swanzy, William Cox belted a two-out, two-run double and Tonsmeire scored on an error to give the Rebels a 4-0 lead entering the bottom half of the first inning.

“I got a couple of fastballs in a row and finally got one up the middle,” Cox said. “I tried to hit it on the ground, not in the air, because there were two outs.”

Vestavia Hills’ top four hitters in the lineup are Division I signees and went a combined 7-of-19 with 10 RBIs and the solo homer from Head.

“They have come up big for us all year,” Harris said. “This is the best offensive team we’ve had in 10 years at least. And it’s been someone different almost every game. We hit one through nine and that’s the strength of our team. There’s no give-away innings.”

Spain Park (28-9) managed to place a run across the board in the second inning, scoring on a bases-loaded walk, and the Jaguars scored their only other run on a solo homer from Auburn University signee Cole Edwards.

The Rebels would score three runs in each of the final three frames to force a run-rule victory in six innings.

In the third inning, Head pulled an RBI single to bring William Peerson home and Walburn reached on an error that scored Johnston and Head. A bases-loaded walk scored the first run of the fifth and Johnston added a two-run sac fly to give Vestavia Hills a 10-1 lead.

Jable Ramey earned the complete game win for Vestavia Hills in the nightcap. He allowed two runs off four hits while issuing two walks and six strikeouts.

“We really hit the ball well and play defense really well,” Ramey said. “I trust the guys behind me to make plays for me and I try to fill up the strike zone.”

The final inning saw the Rebels load the bases up with one out and surge ahead to a 13-2 lead on a three-run double from Harris. Ramey sat down the Spain Park lineup in order to close out the doubleheader sweep.