FERRIDAY, La. – Up two runs heading into the bottom of the seventh of the deciding Game 3 of the MPSA Class A Championship series, the thought may have occured to some Porters Chapel fans that ace reliever Michael Busby would pitch the seventh.

Not so. Sophomore Matt Cranfield was the guy.

&#8220We were going to either win or lose with Matt Cranfield,” PCA coach Randy Wright said.

Cranfield did the job, getting a game-ending tag out of Huntington School courtesy runner Hunter Norwood at the plate to seal PCA’s thrilling 7-6 title game victory.

Back in Vicksburg Friday night in Game 2, Busby had pitched four-plus innings of scoreless relief. He then evened the series with a walk-off solo home run in the 10th inning to lift the Eagles to the 3-2 win and send the series back to Ferriday for Game 3.

Wright said Busby was not an option, no matter the situation.

&#8220Michael threw 50 pitches and I’m not going to risk a kid’s arm just to win a state championship,” Wright said, amid a bedlam of hugs, shouts and tears from the PCA faithful. &#8220Cranfield was our guy.”

Cranfield was definitely in the zone from the start. He started his four-hit evening with a sharp RBI single to left center, scoring Hayden Hales for a 4-0 Eagle lead in the first inning.

The single capped a six-hit inning off Hounds starter and Game 1 winner Trey Brasher.

&#8220I knew I had to come up big in this game,” Cranfield said. &#8220I saw nothing but inside pitches when I faced him (Brasher) here in the first game. I was waiting on it this time.”

While his first-inning single was a line drive, his second hit was much different. Cranfield lifted another inside Brasher fastball out of the park for a two-run homer and a 6-0 Eagle lead. It was the only home run of the night.

&#8220Another fastball inside. He likes his curve ball but he couldn’t throw it for strikes,” Cranfield said.

Brasher did not walk a batter in seven innings, but the Eagles peppered him with 14 hits. Eight of the nine Eagle batters had at least one hit and the bottom four in the lineup went a combined 10-for-16. Cranfield was 4-for-4 with three RBIs. He capped his offensive night with two-out singles in the fifth and seventh innings.

&#8220We wanted to jump out on them,” Cranfield said.

&#8220We just came up here with a lot of intensity. Brasher wasn’t going to beat us this time,” added Chris Mixon, who besides his triple, helped account for the eventual game-winning run in the PCA sixth.

Leading just 6-5, and with Cole Smith on first with one out, Mixon sent a high fly ball into right field. The ball was beginning to tail away from Huntington right fielder Brant Bradley. Second baseman Phillip Washington drifted over to help, but the ball came in behind both.

&#8220(Bradley) just came in too fast. The ball drifted behind them and they just misjudged it. All I could think of, was wow,” Mixon said.

Smith raced around to score, putting PCA up 7-5.

Despite being down six runs after 2 1/2 innings, Huntington wasn’t fazed. The Hounds worked themselves back into the game by getting single runs off Hayden Hales, the PCA starter, in the third and fourth. Hales then got two out in the fifth but the Hounds rallied with back-to-back singles from Trey Corbett and Brasher. Wright had seen enough and brought in Cranfield, thinking the change of styles would confuse Huntington. Cranfield uses a sidearm delivery.

&#8220I’m more over the top with a little bit of a slide,” Hales said. &#8220I had a pretty good curveball and I was able to get the first pitch in for a strike.”

Hales left with a 6-3 lead after 4 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out seven while scattering six hits.

Cranfield was greeted by a double from Huntington’s Huston Eliser. The hit scored Norwood, who was running for Brasher. A missed cutoff throw allowed Eliser to take third, and he scored on a passed ball to make it 6-5.

Cranfield, however, struck out Landon Willard to end the fifth. He then got out of a sixth inning jam with two Hounds in scoring position by striking out No. 2 hitter Ples Arthur.

&#8220Matt got us some huge outs and that one (of Arthur) was big,” Wright added.

When Cranfield went to the hill in the seventh, the nerves of a title game began to turn and Corbett rocketed a double off the green wall in center to start the Hounds’ final at bat.

&#8220That woke me up,” Cranfield said.

The Eagles pretty much conceded Corbett’s run but Brasher then reached on only the second PCA error of the game. Norwood came into run for him at first.

A grounder to Mixon at third got the first out but it scored Corbett to make it 7-6. Norwood went to second.

On a 1-1 pitch to Willard, Cranfield got the series down to a last strike, but the strike also got by Spencer Pell at the plate, allowing Norwood to go to third.

When the next pitch sailed wide of Pell’s glove, Norwood was a bit hesitant on whether to try for home. He finally did, and Cranfield was there waiting for him.

&#8220He got a late jump and Spencer made a good throw. I had my foot guarding the plate. He didn’t have a chance,” Cranfield said.

For Mixon, winning a championship buried the disappointment of the Eagles’ loss in the semifinals in football.

&#8220This is an unbelievable feeling, to win a state championship in my senior year,” Mixon said. &#8220We’ve worked really hard for this the past two years and this shows hard work does pay off.”