One big inning moved Tallulah Academy within one more win of a trip to the MAIS Class 3A baseball championship series.

Cade Morgan snapped a 2-2 tie with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning, and the Trojans went on to score another nine runs in the frame as they beat Prairie View Academy 13-2 on Monday in Game 1 of their Class 3A semifinal series.

Game 2 is Thursday at Prairie View at 6 p.m. Tallulah Academy (23-5) can clinch its second trip to the finals in three years with another win. If Game 3 is needed it will be back at Tallulah Saturday at 6 p.m.

Prairie View (23-5) had a four-game winning streak snapped. Tallulah has won its last three games in a row, although Monday’s took a while to put in the bag.

Prairie View’s Mason Phillips hit a solo home run leading off the second inning, and Sully Edwards tied it at 2 with an RBI single in the fifth. Dee Morgan hit an RBI double and Hayes Hopkins an RBI single in the fourth for Tallulah.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Tallulah finally took control. A walk, single and hit batter loaded the bases and set the stage for Cade Morgan, who singled to left field to plate two runs. Denton Ray followed with a squeeze bunt for an RBI single to make it 5-2, and the floodgates opened up.

Wyatt Bedgood, Hopkins and Brayson Morson all hit RBI singles before Cade Morgan came up again and hit another RBI single. A bases-loaded walk and a run-scoring fielder’s choice brought in the final two runs to make it 13-2.

Tallulah sent 16 batters to the plate in the inning, and 11 reached base safely before the first out was made.

Cade Morgan finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Ray, Dee Morgan and Hopkins all had two RBIs, while Morson and Landry Tweedle each went 2-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.