SULPHUR — The third-seeded Sulphur Tors were in a tough spot heading out of the third inning.

No. 11 Central had just tied the score, erasing the Tors’ two-run lead. But Sulphur countered in the sixth inning on Dillion Bird’s clutch hit to win 3-2 and sweep the best-of-three nonselect Division I quarterfinals series Friday at McMurry Park.

“We punched them in the mouth and they punched us in the mouth,” Sulphur head coach Sam Moore said. “Then we punched last.

“I will say a lot about that bunch across from us. They are a great bunch. Mr. (Grayden) Harris was unbelievable. That is why he is going to Southern Miss. It was just a classic matchup. We just played baseball. There wasn’t a lot of yakking back and forth. We just played sound baseball, and you can tell by both games being close. We just beat a great organization.

“I told (my players) they just punched us back and somehow we have to get the momentum back. Harris was having a lot to do with us not getting a lot of hits. That guy is very good. No matter what the count was, he would throw the slider.”

Harris struck out nine and walked one.

The Tors (34-4), who won the first game of the series 3-1 on Thursday, will make a return appearance at the state baseball tournament here at McMurry Park at 5 p.m. Thursday against District 3-5A rival and No. 2 Barbe.

With two outs in the top of the sixth, with Espyn Trahan on first base, Bird delivered the hit of the game, a double to left field. The ball was mishandled by the Wildcats (25-13) and Trahan scored what proved to be the winning run.

“Bird had been doing it all year,” Moore said. “If Bird is not doing it, somebody else is doing it. Gage (Trahan) had a big hit early in the game, and Jake (Brown) got us started with a great bunt.”

After Landen Chustz slammed a two-out double off the left-field wall in the third inning to bring home Cole Guidroz and tie the score at 2-2, Sulphur starting pitcher Luke Benoit settled down and retired 11 of the next 13 batters he faced.

Benoit (8-0) pitched his seventh complete game and got help from catcher Cooper Devall, who threw a runner out at second base in the fifth and sixth innings. Benoit had four strikeouts and a walk.

“Let me tell you how hard that complete game was,” Moore said. “It was hot, and it was humid. You couldn’t breathe out here. (Benoit) had to make some pressure pitching and then he settled in. That was an unbelievable job.”

The Tors took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on back-to-back RBI doubles by Trahan and Bryce Fontenot.