By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Advertiser

The long ball played a big part of both teams offense, but it was the Jemison Panthers that escaped with a one-point, 9-8 win on the road against the Thorsby Rebels on Saturday in varsity boys baseball action.

The Panthers wasted little time getting the offense going, as a Will Johns leadoff single along with a hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases for Jemison with no outs.

A wild pitch allowed Johns to cross the plate and a sacrifice fly by Chase Deason scored AJ Jackson. Another wild pitch by the Rebels scored Hood and gave the Panthers an early 3-0 lead.

The Rebels were unable to answer in the bottom half of the first inning and with no change in the score through the top of the second, a pair of singles by Trent Jones and Austin Adams set up a three-run home run by Carson Cummings that tied the game at three after two innings of play.

The tie game did not last long, as a leadoff home run by Hood turned the lead back in favor of the Panthers and turned again in the bottom half of the third.

After a leadoff ground ball out, a walk by Graham Blankenship and a single from Mason Blankenship, a two-out two RBI single by Adams and later scored on a Jemison error that gave Thorsby a 6-4 lead.

A three-up-and-three-down inning for the Panthers in the top of the fourth gave way to another Rebels run in the bottom half of the inning on a Bailey Sellers double that later saw Sellers score on another Jemison error.

Trailing by three, the Panthers answered big in the top of the fifth with a leadoff walk by Johns that setup an RBI single by Jackson and a walk by Hood, which was followed by a three-run home run by Deason.

An infield ground ball by Blake Smith scored Lawson Payton who reached on a walk and gave Jemison a 9-7 lead.

Another home run in the bottom half of the sixth inning, this time by Chase Birchfield, cut the Jemison lead to one and sent the game to the seventh.

With the leadoff batter aboard after being hit by a pitch, three consecutive ground ball outs brought the top of the seventh to a close and left the Rebels with three outs remaining to pull out a win.

A one out walk and a ground ball back to he pitcher knocked the Rebels down to their final out, but with a walk putting two runners aboard, a throw down to third from Jemison catcher Blake Smith caught a steal attempt by Trent Jones and brought the game to a close with the Panthers escaping with a 9-8 win.

Hood led Jemison at the plate with a 2-for-2 performance with a double, home run, one RBI and two walks.

Camden Phillips got the start on the mound for the Panthers and threw six innings, allowing six earned runs, on seven hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.

Logan Patterson got the start on the hill for the Rebels and pitched four innings with six earned runs, on four hits, three walks and one strikeout.