Athens and Muscle Shoals had quite a battle for the Class 6A, Area 15 championship, but in the end, the Trojans had one more hit, and it led them to an area championship.

Andrew Jones hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to break a tie, and Muscle Shoals defeated Athens 2-1 in a series-deciding third game Friday night. Athens had forced the third game after winning 8-6 earlier Friday. Muscle Shoals had taken a 3-0 victory in game one of the series Thursday.

“It’s going to be a good series no matter what,” Athens coach Chuck Smith said. “That’s how it’s been the past two years with Muscle Shoals. There is high intensity the whole time. Both of us have good pitching, both of us swung the bat when we needed to, but they just swung the bat one more time that we did.”

Muscle Shoals took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a home run by Caleb McDougle, but Athens answered with a run in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Parker Willoughby that drove home James Clem.

Athens had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth, but pinch-runner Jaelen Cates was thrown out at home after trying to tag up and score after a flyout to centerfield by Willoughby. Muscle Shoals centerfielder Jackson Bratton, who signed to play football at Alabama as a linebacker in the fall, threw a cannon shot to home to nail Cates at the plate for the third out of the inning.

“We had chances to push across some runs, but we just didn’t get it done when we needed to,” Smith said. “We were trying to make things happen sometimes, but it didn’t always work out.”

Athens pitcher Tyler Gainer had been cruising since coming on in relief for starter Jack Garvin to start the fourth. Gainer had only allowed one hit before he left a pitch up to Jones, who didn’t miss it in hitting it over the left field fence.

“They weren’t touching Tyler, and then all of a sudden they hit a home run,” Smith said. “And that’s baseball. You can be completely shoving against somebody, and all of a sudden, one guy runs into one and hits it out.”

Athens finished the game with five hits, with all coming from Dylan Johnston and Garvin. Johnston had three hits, including a double, while Garvin had two hits.

Athens had forced a deciding third game thanks to scoring six runs in the bottom of the fourth to break open a 1-1 game, then held off a Muscle Shoals comeback attempt.

Tyde Robinson opened the scoring in the inning by hitting a sacrifice fly that scored Julius Mayberry. With two outs, Garvin scored on a wild pitch after the Muscle Shoals catcher dropped the ball while applying the tag. Athens took advantage of the mistake, with Tucker Stockman following with a two-run single. Tommy White then hit a two-run single of his own to close the scoring.

Athens led 8-1 after a sacrifice fly by Johnston in the fifth and held on the last two innings as Muscle Shoals scored five late runs, including a two-run homer by Bratton.

White finished the game with three hits, while Robinson and Willoughby each had two hits. Lars Stanford was the winning pitcher.

Athens will travel to take on Hazel Green in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs, which begin Friday.

“They are a very familiar opponent,” Smith said. “They were in our area the past two years, and myself and Frankie Perez, the head coach there, have a good relationship. He coaches his guys up really well, so it’s going to be a good series.”