MONTICELLO – T-Tez Cole hit a walk-off, grand-slam homerun in the bottom of the eighth to power the Lawrence County Cougars to an 8-4 win over Northeast Lauderdale Monday night at Jimmie Davis Park. The game was the deciding third game in a best-of-three 4A playoff series.

Lawrence County claimed the first game on Friday 4-3. Northeast Lauderdale rebounded to win a 1-0 nail-biter in Saturday’s second game. In the third game, it looked as though the visiting Trojans might have an easier time of it. Northeast led 4-1 through three innings. However, the great relief effort of Kasey Durr held the Trojans on four runs, and the booming bat of Cole came through for the Cougars yet again.

“I’m awfully proud of our team,” said second-year Lawrence County coach Josh Garrett. “I’m proud of the way they battled back from adversity. It looked pretty bleak for a while, but we stayed in the fight. Kasey was outstanding, and T-Tez is just plain special.”

The win advances Lawrence County into the second round of the 4A playoffs. The Cougars will face Forrest County AHS, which bested St. Stanislaus in a deciding third game on Monday. The series will open Friday at Jimmie Davis Park.

“We don’t know anything about Forrest County,” said Garrett. “We’ll learn what we can about them over the next couple of days. We’re just thrilled to still be playing. We beat a very good team in three gut-wrenching games.”

It didn’t look good for Garrett’s Cougars on Monday. Northeast Lauderdale got to LCHS starter Marcus Atterberry for three runs in the first two innings. Durr relieved with two out in the second, and went the rest of the way. In six and 1/3 innings, he allowed just one unearned run. At one point, he retired 14 of 16 Trojan batters, giving Lawrence County the opportunity for a comeback.

Lawrence County got one run in the second, as Marcus Kees had a single, and Brennan Lang drove home a run with a sacrifice fly. The Cougars cut their deficit to 4-2 with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Lang had a single in the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, with their season on the line, the Cougars put together three hits. Gabriel Lewis, who also had an outstanding defensive game at second base, starting things with a leadoff single. One out later, Rishad Haynes drew a base on balls. With two out, Brandon Bullock beat out an infield hit, scoring Lewis. Cole then tied the game with a soft single that dropped just inside the right field foul line. After being behind all night, the Cougars suddenly found themselves in a 4-4 tie.

Both teams went quietly in the seventh. Durr then pitched out of a bit of a jam in the top of the eighth. Catcher Prentiss Anderson helped by throwing out a Trojan runner who was attempting to steal second.

In the bottom of the eighth, Lawrence County rallied against Northeast Lauderdale reliever Devin Sisson, who pitched a complete game and lost in heart-breaking fashion in the first game of the series. Lang started things with a walk. Haynes was hit by a pitch. Durr loaded the bases with a bunt single.

After Sisson struck out Brandon Bullock, up to the plate walked T-Tez Cole. Three nights earlier, Cole had hit a dramatic, game-tying homerun off Sisson in the bottom of the sixth, propelling Lawrence County to a come-from-behind victory. On Monday, he burned Sisson and the Trojans again, banging a grand slam to left-center, and sending the Cougar faithful into a wild celebration.

“That was a tremendous series,” said long-time LCHS assistant Craig Davis. “We could have won all three games, and we dang sure could have lost all three of them. That’s a fine team we were playing. Do realize that every pitcher they threw against us in this series has signed to move on to the next level.”