TIFTON – Thursday’s final score of North Paulding 11, Tift County 5 belied the first five innings of the third game of the first-round Class 6A state baseball tournament.

Through five innings, the game was neck-and-neck, a 3-3 tie. Starters Tyler VanSumeren and Jacob Krivanek. Both worked in and out of trouble early, then settled down.

Game 3 was getting late. Both pitchers were in good shape with pitch counts, but both teams were on the edge. If one took the advantage, it might be too late for the other And both offenses were strong enough that any crack could deepen in a hurry.

Nathan Rowland doubled to left to start off the sixth and after Collin Brightwell singled and stole second, North Paulding had runners at second and third with no outs.

So, the Blue Devils opted to gamble, hope the odds were more in their favor with an intentional walk to Cade Cox to load the bases and set up a force play at every bag.

Tift got the grounder it wanted from Wesley Moering but a miscue saw two runs score. Lawson Sheffield followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-3 before Bryce Davis singled in Moering.

One frame later Sheffield boomed a pitch over the left field signboards for a grand slam and the Wolfpack doubled their lead to eight runs at 11-3.

The Blue Devils had one final spark in the bottom of the seventh. Trey Dorminey, who had two hits Thursday, began the frame with a single. John Davis forced an error out of the visitors for two on and no outs.

North Paulding caught a break on a play at the plate off the bat of Drew Hembree. THat was the second out, but Jake Spurlin drove in Davis with a single and another error plated Hembree for the final score.

The Wolfpack roared early.

Cox doubled in Brightwell and Sheffield delivered Cox for two quick runs in the first. Brightwell hit a sacrifice fly in the second, bringing in Hayden Miller and the locals seemed in deep trouble.

Until Landon Parrish stepped up in the bottom of the second.

Spurlin and Mason Grist singled, bringing up Parrish. On a 1-1 count, he blasted Krivanek’s pitch over the left field wall for his second home run in as many games.

The game was now tied 3-3 and up for grabs, but remained on that pendulum until the sixth.

Spurlin and Dorminey each had two hits. Parrish drove in three.

North Paulding knocked 13 hits on the day. Sheffield, who had two of them, drove in six runners.