After a disappointing loss on Wednesday, St. Aloysius needed a rout to claim the Division 7-1A championship.

The rout didn’t quite come, but the Flashes did notch a big win.

With a large, rowdy crowd of about 400 people cheering them on, the Flashes took it to Stringer at every turn. They made plays in the field, took extra bases and came up with clutch hits. The end result was a 5-1 victory over a team that has been a thorn in their side for years.

St. Al had only beaten Stringer once in the last four years, a run that included two playoff series losses and a 10-4 drubbing on Wednesday. Because of the latest loss, St. Al needed to win Friday by seven runs or more to earn the division title. Corey Jones went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Ryno Martin-Nez and Blake Haygood both went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored as the Flashes earned a cathartic victory.

“We went down there Wednesday and rolled over,” St. Al catcher Sean Weaver said. “That was a good win, division title or not. They’re a good team. They’re going to go far in the playoffs. But we’ll find them.”

If the teams meet again this season, it wouldn’t be until the Class 1A semifinals. Although the Flashes didn’t win the division, by finishing second they’ll likely avoid an early-round meeting with defending state champion East Webster. Instead, Stringer will be in line for that matchup. Stringer coach Tommy Perkins didn’t seem to mind.

“We’re tickled with that. Hopefully we’ll come back around and see them again,” Perkins said.

St. Al danced around trouble all night, then made Stringer pay for its mistakes. The Red Devils loaded the bases three times, but only managed one unearned run in the top of the third. In the bottom half of that inning, St. Al answered with four two-out runs and never trailed again.

Haygood started the rally with a grounder to the hole between second and third. He beat Andrew Pierce’s throw for an infield single, then took second when the throw sailed wide. After a passed ball, Ryno Martin-Nez tied the game with an RBI single up the middle.

Another hit by Stephen Evans and an errant pitch that hit Weaver loaded the bases. Martin-Nez scored the go-ahead run on a balk, and Jones put the Flashes ahead 4-1 with a two-run single to left.

“That was a huge deal,” St. Al coach Clint Wilkerson said. “We knew they were going to bring (Andrew) Pierce in, and we had to get some runs early. We were able to piece some things together and get that done.”

Perkins did give the ball to the hard-throwing righty Pierce to start the fourth. The Flashes weren’t fazed.

Haygood delivered another big two-out hit to score a run and make it 5-1.

Pierce kept St. Al in check the rest of the way, and his teammates mounted one last comeback bid in the sixth inning. After Martin-Nez struck out the first two batters, he hit one and walked one. Weston Stringer hit a grounder to second that appeared to be an easy out, but first baseman Joseph Brown dropped the ball and the bases were loaded.

Darius Beavers then hit a sinking liner in the hole between second and third. Shortstop Pierson Waring made a diving catch for the final out of the inning, and the Red Devils were retired in order in the seventh.

“That shortstop is a great player. They made the plays when they had to,” Perkins said. “They’ve got a good ballclub. We’re just tickled to come out of this like we did.”

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com