Down 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Pleasant Home scored three runs to clinch to defeat Kinston 3-2 and win the Class 1A, Area 3 championship Wednesday at the Andalusia Sports Complex.

Pleasant Home’s Ariel Gunter hit an RBI double to score Gina Davis before Brentin Fuller hit an RBI single to score courtesy runner Raven Woods to tie the game at 2-2.

Pleasant Home coach Jimmy Reeves said it was a joint effort to get those three runs in the fifth inning.

“It was just a team effort,” Reeves said. “We had a senior (Gunter) get up there and start the inning off with a clutch hit and a senior (Byrd) get up there with two outs get a clutch double to score the winning run.

“Then, we had some little eighth graders coming in and running the bases,” he said. “I thought our pitching was great again. You just don’t beat Kinston. That’s something you don’t do. They are just a too good of a team to do that.”

Reeves added that when his team really had to “earn” its area title victory over Kinston.

“I think we earned every bit of it,” he said. “They had a couple plays over there that were tough plays between first and second and were hustling it out.”

Fuller made it to first base on an error by the first baseman.

The Lady Eagles’ final run of the game came when Erin Byrd knocked an RBI double to score courtesy runner Emily Byrd.

Earlier in the game, Kinston scored two runs in the fourth inning.

Pleasant Home (28-8) will join eight teams from Class 1A at the South Regional tournament in Gulf Shores this weekend.

Its first game will be at 10 a.m. on Friday.