St. Aloysius was reminded Tuesday night of why Stringer has always been its biggest nemesis.

Four players drove in two runs apiece, and Stringer scored nine runs in the fifth inning to rally past St. Al for an 11-9 victory in Game 1 of their second-round Class 1A playoff series.

The teams will play Game 2 Thursday night at 7 at Bazinsky Field. St. Al (11-9) needs to win to avoid being swept, and also to avoid losing a playoff series to Stringer (20-7) for the third consecutive season.

This is the sixth time in 10 years that the teams have met in the postseason.

Game 1 seemed to be going St. Al’s way early. George Tzotzolas hit a bases-clearing triple in the first inning and Lee Simpson an RBI single in the second as the Flashes raced out to a 6-1 lead.

They were up 7-2 with one out in the fifth when the roof caved in.

Stringer loaded the bases, brought in one run with a hit batsman, and then two more with an RBI double by Daylan Dyess. A two-run single by Austin King tied the game at 7.

Stringer added four more runs before it was through, on another bases-loaded hit by pitch, a bases-loaded walk, and a two-run single by Seth Walters. When it was all over, the Red Devils had an 11-7 lead.

St. Al got two runs back in the seventh on sacrifice flies by Lane Hynum and Will Pierce, and got the tying run to the plate when Derek Dolan tripled with two outs. Stringer pitcher Mason Avary struck out Simpson to end the game, however, and give the Red Devils a leg up in the series.

Dolan finished with three hits for the Flashes, and Jacob Breeden was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and three runs scored. Hynum went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Will Hill had three hits for Stringer. Walters, Connor Welborn, Dyess and King all drove in two runs apiece.