Jackson Lee of Tiftarea Academy takes a lead off first base in last week’s 3-2 win over Deerfield-Windsor.

CHULA — A one-game playoff is perhaps the only way the GISA’s Region 3-AAA baseball season could end.

Tiftarea Academy and Deerfield-Windsor each finished with 5-3 records. The teams split one-run games during the regular season, the Panthers taking a 3-2 victory in Chula and Deerfield returning the favor Friday in Albany, 3-2. Hits in the late innings decided both games.

The conference victor and No. 1 seed for the upcoming state tournament will be decided Wednesday in a 6 p.m. contest at Tiftarea.

“The way our series went,” said Tiftarea head coach Chance Benson, this finale is only appropriate.

Though they ended region with a loss Friday, luck may be on the Panthers’ side.

Benson, who said he never wins coin flips, won the coin flip to determine the host team. Not only is the game to be played on friendly turf, “The Jungle” has been especially good for the Panthers this year; they have won seven games there without a defeat.

Tiftarea also received a bonus in another game. Days after falling to Southland Academy by a 17-2 score, Brookwood School upset the Raiders by a 9-4 decision Friday. Benson said that had Southland won, Deerfield-Windsor would have won region with the Panthers as the No. 2 seed.

Cain Cooper will be the starting pitcher for the region showdown. Cooper won against Deerfield-Windsor last week, striking out eight in the process.

Regardless of result, Tiftarea will have home games for the first round of the Class AAA state tournament, which will be played against a school from Region 2. According to information supplied Benson by Jason Bishoff, the current third seed in that region is Trinity Christian of Dublin. Fourth seed has a tie currently between Edmund Burke Academy and Bulloch Academy. Bulloch holds the advantage in the season series between them.

The extra game this week has meant one change to the schedule. Tiftarea was originally scheduled to play at Madison County, Fla., Thursday. Benson said that game had been called off. They will still play at home against Monticello’s Piedmont Academy Friday, which closes the regular season.