By Rob DeArmond

Special to the American Press

SULPHUR — Pitching took center stage in Wednesday’s Division III nonselect baseball semifinal game between South Beauregard and Doyle.

The Tigers got the upper hand as Peyton Woods hurled a two-hitter, outdueling the Golden Knights’ Jace Duhon as Doyle picked up a 3-1 win at McMurry Park.

“Woods did a great job,” South Beauregard head coach Jeremy Deville said. ‘He kept us off balance. We just couldn’t get that timely hit.”

“Usually, eventually there, we have that big inning and apply the pressure, and it just didn’t happen.”

Doyle advanced to face Berwick, a 4-1 winner over Kinder, in the championship game at 5 p.m. Friday.

Doyle broke through with two runs in the second inning as Caiden Barcia led off with a single up the middle and Dru Beatty got a single which bounced off the bag at first.

Brody Stewart reached on an error on a throw from third to first to score the game’s first run, and Jace Ware’s chopper to second pushed across the second before Duhon sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk to get out of the inning.

Duhon struck out nine, giving up seven hits with two walks in a complete game.

“Jace competed hard,” Deville said. “He’s always going to keep us in the game. He battled back and went back. After the big inning, when they score those two runs, he came back out and kind of got in a groove and got his pitch count down.”

Doyle stranded two runners in the third and added a run in the fourth as Ware singled to lead off, and Kahner Reeves had a one-out double before Cody Lovett laid down a squeeze bunt to make the score 3-0.

South Beauregard got both of its hits in the bottom of the fourth, leading to a run as Bryce Deason had a one-out double, and Carter Caraway followed with a one-out single to left-center for the final margin.

The Tigers stranded four runners over the final three innings, while the Knights had two runners the rest of the game. After being retired in order in the bottom of the fifth, Gunner Courtney drew a one-out walk in the sixth but was thrown out at second before Woods got a strikeout to end the inning.

Clayton Folks drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh before Cy Barrow flied out to right to end the game.