SULPHUR — Fifth-seeded Berwick broke a tied score in the fifth inning and got a stellar performance on the mound from Hayden Robinson to knock out No. 1 Kinder 4-1 Wednesday in the nonselect Division III semifinals.

With one out in the top of the fifth inning, Zack Gonzales hit a hard grounder through the left side to plate a pair of runs.

Kinder pitcher Brayden Guillory struck out the next two batters to stop the Panthers from adding to their lead.

Kinder (27-9) got a runner in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings and left four runners in scoring position for the game.

“Our season was great,” Kinder head coach Rick Whittington said. “It fell short.

“Of course we wanted to win a state championship. Overall, we let opportunities pass us by when we had runners in scoring position and didn’t score early and too many strikeouts.”

Robinson, a Nicholls State signee, pitched a complete game three-hitter, with 10 strikeouts. Kinder had 44 runs in its previous four playoff games.

“Offensively, that guy is good,” Whittington said. “He is the 10th best pitcher in the state of Louisiana, according to College Sports America.”

Berwick will play No. 3 Doyle, a 3-1 winner over South Beauregard, in the final at 5 p.m. Friday. Doyle is playing in a state championship game for a third consecutive season.

Berwick (20-14) struck first with the help of a passed ball and error to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.

Kinder’s Tanner Mouhot led off the bottom of the third inning with a single, and Lance LeBoeuf tie the game with a two-out single to the left side. But the Yellow Jackets managed three more baserunners the rest of the game with Robinson on the mound.

Guillory went 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and three walks.

Berwick returns to the final for a second consecutive season after losing to Lutcher 5-4 in the Class 3A championship in 2022.