SULPHUR – The second-ranked Rosepine Eagles will play for a state championship Friday morning. 

Third baseman Grant Ducote went 4-for-4 with a triple and a pair of RBIs to help lead the Eagles to a 9-5 victory on Wednesday over the Mangham Dragons in the Class 2A semifinals at McMurry Park. 

With the win, the Eagles will attempt to make history at 10 a.m. Friday when they take on the top-ranked Doyle Tigers in a game that can be heard live on Today's Country 105.7 with Will Norris and Chaston Tavares on the call. 

Mangham jumped out to a big lead early on, scoring three times off of Rosepine starter Casey Tilley in the top of the first.  

Rosepine responded with a big inning in the bottom half, scoring five times to claim the lead, pounding Mangham starter Kade Lively. 

Both Tilley and Lively lasted just one more inning each, although Tilley worked into the third inning, giving up another run and leaving the bases loaded for reliever Braden Trull, who worked out of the jam as Rosepine held a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the frame. 

The Eagles tacked on four runs in the inning, moving out to a 9-4 advantage, giving Trull plenty of room to work. 

And work he did. Trull gave up just one run on five hits and struck out four in five innings of work, earning the win. 

Mangham managed to push a run across in the sixth, but couldn't get any closer as Rosepine earned the victory. 

Ducote had two runs scored to go along with his four hits and two RBIs. Trull and Brady Phelps each had two RBIs, while Jake Smith and Logan Calcote each had two hits. 

Lively suffered the loss, giving up five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts over two innings. 

Josh Uchtman had three doubles and a run scored for Mangham, while Casey Neilson also had three hits, including a double. Luke Curtis added two hits and two RBIs. 

This article originally appeared on Leesville Daily Leader: Ducote leads Rosepine to Class 2A finals