FERRIDAY, La. &045; As far as anyone could tell after this one, Tensas Academy had just as much on the line in the playoff picture as Huntington.

Yet the Chiefs had nothing more than pride, and it was almost enough to crash any thoughts the Hounds had of claiming a District 7-A championship. Only a few feet was the ultimate difference late on a bloop single as the Hounds took a wild 8-7 win in eight innings Tuesday night to keep their hopes alive for a title heading into Friday’s game at Franklin Academy.

And if the Hounds storm back to a win Friday to get that title, they ought to send a little thank-you note to the Chiefs for giving them a little kick in the keister.

&uot;We were out-played, out-coached, out-pitched, out-hit &045; out-everything tonight,&uot; Huntington head coach Mitch Ashmore said. &uot;We just happened to come out one run better on the scoreboard. Maybe we felt like we were in the playoffs and didn’t have to come out and give an effort. Our focus wasn’t there tonight. If we don’t have get that focus back, we’ll have a short week next week.&uot;

The Hounds (8-1, 15-6) had to fight in the bottom half of the seventh to force the extra frame and another in the eighth to take the win. But that came after Tensas scored two in the top of the seventh and threatened in the eighth.

The dramatics at the end were enough to keep everyone at the park it neared 10 p.m. but also keep both coaches from doing anything but sitting down patiently.

&uot;We’re real young, and some of these kids don’t play summer ball,&uot; Tensas head coach Taylor Grayson said. &uot;They came together as a team tonight. We’re a second-year program. I think our kids don’t have anything to hand their heads about. The top two teams are going to play Friday, but I’m very proud of my boys. Neither one of the teams were going to give up, but one of us was going to win it.&uot;

The Hounds struggled at times against Tensas pitcher Tyler White and Zach Jones despite finishing the game with 12 hits. They finished the game with 12 runners left on base, but credit Trey Keith for doing what most of the team couldn’t do early in the game.

The Hounds had runners on second and third with one out in the eight, and Keith looped one into shallow center that speedy Randal Borsch couldn’t come up with on a diving grab. That enabled Chad Thomas to score from third to end the game.

&uot;I felt like I had to win the game,&uot; Keith said. &uot;We knew they had gotten better. They had a win over River Oaks. I just didn’t think we were ready to play tonight. We made some key mistakes that let them get in the game. We made some errors and didn’t throw as many strikes as we normally do.&uot;

The Hounds had to come back in their last at-bat to force the extra frame and came about as close as a team can get to losing before tying it up. Austin Butler singled with one out, went to second on a passed ball and to third on a Mike Ferguson groundout back to the mound.

Jones then got Trey Brasher to swing at a third strike, but the ball got by the catcher. Brasher reached first, but more importantly Butler scored on the play to tie the game up.

Then in the eighth the Chiefs (3-6, 5-9) put up a two-out rally off Brasher &045; in relief for Jacob Bonnette &045; with runners at first and second with one out. Brasher got Tyler White to ground out back to the mound, and the left-hander forced out Ryan Borsch at third for the second out.

Jones then popped one to shallow left, but Keith made a diving grab to make the catch and end the inning.

&uot;Tyler pitched a real good five innings for us, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more,&uot; Grayson said. &uot;Zach Jones pitched a real good game. But Huntington is going to put the bat on the ball. Huntington is a well-coached team and a well-rounded team. They’ll make things happen.

&uot;I’m at a loss for words right now. I thought we were going to get that one.&uot;

The Chiefs had the big hit in the seventh inning off Brasher to take the lead, but the eighth-grader made the pitches to get out of it trailing by only one. With first open, Ashmore called for an intentional walk to Jones to load the bases, and Trey Corbett went home on Cody Hill’s grounder to second to force out Randal Borsch.

Brasher then got a strikeout for the second out, but Thomas Crigler blooped one down the line in shallow right to score White and Jones for the 6-5 lead.

&uot;They played well,&uot; Ashmore said. &uot;My hat’s off to them. They came in here ready to play. They were more intense tonight with nothing more to play for than their pride. We felt like if we could get one (out), we could hold them off (in the seventh). Then the guy bleeds one down the line. They had a monopoly on that spot down there.&uot;