NATCHEZ — After 14 innings of baseball Friday night, Cathedral High School head baseball coach Craig Beesley was understandably tired.

But the Green Wave will have a break of several days coming up after this week’s playoff series against French Camp Academy. That’s much better than the alternative — a break that would have lasted until the start of next season.

And Cathedral was one loss away from that extended break. After dropping Game 2 6-3, the Green Wave rode three pitchers to a 3-0 win in Game 3 in second round of the MHSAA Class 1A playoffs.

“I thought French Camp came down and played good baseball,” Beesley said.

“I just felt like we didn’t have the intensity and had a lackluster effort in both games today, and hopefully we can pick it back up.”

Austin Chauvin got the start in Game 3 but lasted just 2/3 of an inning before Beesley pulled him in favor of Thomas Garrity. Garrity pitched four innings, giving way to Game 1 starter Blake Martin, who sealed the win for the Green Wave by shutting down French Camp in the final 2 1/3 innings.

The Cathedral offense was lethargic most of the night, tallying just six hits in both games — only two of which came in the second game. But the Green Wave pitching held down the fort in Game 3, and Cathedral managed just enough offense to allow itself to advance.

Ty Brown scored Cathedral’s first run in Game 3 on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the third inning. Daniel Huffines advanced on the same play, and a throwing error allowed him to come home as well, giving Cathedral a 2-0 lead.

Caleb Upton pushed Cathedral’s lead to 3-0 after he came home on a throwing error in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Thomas Garrity got the win for Cathedral in Game 2, giving up three hits, two walks and striking out three. Martin got the save, getting the final seven outs on three strikeouts, three groundouts and a fly ball. He surrendered one hit and one walk.

French Camp’s Ben Hosket took the loss in Game 3.

Chauvin’s start came fresh off the heels of a Game 2 appearance in which Chauvin had to relieve Upton in the top of the seventh inning after Upton ran out of gas. He pitched one inning in Game 2, tallying one strikeout.

Chauvin struggled with his control at the start of Game 3, giving up a hit, two walks and hitting a batter. Not wanting to take any chances, Beesley immediately pulled Chauvin for Garrity after Chauvin recorded just two outs.

“We figured we were going to need three pitchers in (Game 3),” Beesley said.

“We thought we’d get two innings out of Austin, and then get three innings out of Thomas and bring Blake in for the last two. It kind of went that way, Chauvin just couldn’t find the strike zone.”

Cathedral had an early 2-0 lead in Game 2 after Peyton Jenkins scored on an error in the bottom of the first and Chauvin scored on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the second. French Camp cut the lead to 2-1 when Hagan Box came home on a throwing error.

Garrity came home on an error in the bottom of the third to give the Green Wave a 3-1 lead, but it wouldn’t last. Braden McGlothin scored for French Camp in top of the fourth on a fielder’s choice to make it 3-2, then Darwin Ruiz tied the game in the top of the sixth after scoring on a sacrifice bunt.

Things finally unraveled for Cathedral in the top of the seventh. Upton loaded the bases with no outs, then hit Andrew Stevens to send home Cole Henson, making it 4-3 French Camp. Two more runs scored for French Camp on a throwing error and a passed ball.

Upton took the loss in Game 2, going six innings and giving up six runs, four earned, on nine hits. He walked three and struck out two. Henson got the win for French Camp, going seven innings and giving up three runs on four hits with three walks and one strikeout.

After the Game 3 win, Cathedral improved to 14-7 on the season. The Green Wave’s third-round opponent has yet to be determined.