CHULA — Westwood gambled on defense and Robert Garner made them pay Monday, helping Tiftarea Academy walk off a 7-6 win.

On an evening where Garner was one of four Panthers seniors honored, he came through in the clutch after the Wildcats scored two in the top of the seventh to go out in front.

Down 6-5 in the bottom half, Tiftarea immediately loaded the bases. Jackson Parrish was hit by a pitch and Winston Lamb hit a liner over shortstop. With Hayden Matthews courtesy running for Lamb, John Jackson dropped a perfect bunt in front of third.

With no outs and the game on the line, Westwood got defensive. The outfield came in to protect against a sacrifice fly, and the infield moved up to hopefully cut off a ground ball. Neither worked. Garner singled under the first baseman’s glove and Parrish and Matthews scored easily.

Before the high-stakes seventh, the teams traded runs, each countering anything the other did.

Winston Lamb and his counterpart, Cade Swilley, started by pitching two scoreless innings. Both squads then got on the scoreboard with two runs in the third.

Sam Summerlin hit the second of consecutive doubles for the Wildcats, scoring two runs. Lamb rallied for three straight strikeouts and soon Tiftarea evened the game at 2.

Jacob Joyner and Landon Clark forced back-to-back errors to reach, Joyner scoring on the latter. Lamb made it 2-2 by plating Clark on a sacrifice fly.

One frame later, the Panthers took a 3-2 lead in an unusual way. Dawson Butler led off with a double, moving to third on a single by William Garner. Jackson Gray hit into a double play, but with no outs at the time, Butler scored.

Westwood went up a run in the fifth, the big blow a double by Kaden Gunn.

Tiftarea countered with two in its next at-bat to take the lead back.

Parrish, Lamb and Jackson hit consecutive singles, with Jackson providing an RBI. Robert Garner was hit by a pitch to load up the bases. Garner went down, but after coaches Chance Benson, Rob Flick and Jordan Cox tended to him, Garner was able to stay in the game.

Westwood briefly avoided giving up another run by getting a force at the plate, but Tiftarea had other ideas.

Jackson was 3/4 down the third base line, almost assured of stealing home when the ‘Cats could not hold on to a pitch. Ridley Monk, running for Lamb, nearly did the same on the next pitch, but Tiftarea fouled it off.

Westwood got a double play on a fly ball to hold the score at 5-4.

Bryce Roberts tripled in Summerlin in the seventh to tie, then gave the visitors their last lead on a sac fly by Gunn.

Tiftarea hammered out nine hits Monday. Parrish, Lamb and Jackson at the top of the order did most of the damage, going 6-for-8.

Joyner earned the win in two relief innings. He and Lamb combined to strike out 12.

Tiftarea will finish its regular season Wednesday against Southland Academy.