Tallulah Academy had some trouble with Tensas Academy in the regular season, but not in the opener of their MAIS Class 2A baseball playoff series.

Caleb Grady went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored, Aiden Harris drove in three runs, and Tallulah Academy took control of the second-round series by rolling to a 12-6 victory in Game 1 on Monday.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Thursday at 4 p.m. in Tallulah. If Tensas Academy (12-8) wins to force Game 3, it will be played immediately afterward.

Tensas won two out of three in the regular-season series between the District 3-2A rivals, but a late surge propelled Tallulah to a win that might have been tougher than the score indicated.

Luke Moberley hit a two-run single in the top of the fifth inning to put Tallulah ahead 6-2 and finally provide some breathing room.

In the sixth inning, Denton Ray delivered an RBi double, Aiden Harris brought him in with a single three batters later, and Courtland Collins drew a bases-loaded walk to blow it open and make it 9-2.

Tallulah added three more runs in the seventh, on a single by Grady and two bases-loaded walks, to go up 12-3. Tensas made it a little more respectable with three runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Colton Lardy was 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored for Tensas, while Ross Crigler was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Moberley, Grady, Kennedy Collins and Courtland Collins all had two RBIs for Tallulah. The Trojans finished with 12 hits and drew 14 walks. Pitchers J.T. McDaniel, Moberley and Charlie Vining combined for 12 strikeouts.