In a span of just three pitches, the North Clay Cardinals took control of the baseball game.

A triple and back-to-back home runs broke up a scoreless tie and sparked the Cardinals to a 6-1 victory over St. Anthony Monday afternoon in the championship game of the Class 1 Regional A Tournament, played at Evergreen Hollow Park.

The Cardinals, who improved to 17-7 on the season, will now host Cumberland County in a sectional semifinal game Wednesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

In the regional final, it was 0-0 after two innings. But that changed – and changed quickly – in the top of the third.

Collyn Ballard got things started by ripping a triple. On the next pitch, Holden Clifford unloaded for a two-run homer over the left field fence to put North Clay on top. On the very next pitch, Brady Ingram went deep to make it 3-0.

The Cardinals added single tallies in the fourth, sixth and seventh -- with Clifton collecting RBI singles in the fourth and sixth – to take charge of the contest.

And that was plenty of run support for Carson Burkett. He allowed just three hits and walk, while striking out three, in his seven-inning, 73-pitch performance.

He came within two outs of pitching a shutout. But St. Anthony’s Eli Moore blasted a pitch over the centerfield fence with one out in the seventh to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard.

St. Anthony had only three other baserunners in the contest. Eli Link walked in the third and had a lead-off single in the sixth and Angelo Mendella had a lead-off base hit in the fourth.

The first two batters for North Clay did much of the damage. Both Ballard and Clifton had three hits in the game. Both scored a run and Clifton finished with four RBI.

Logan Antrim pitched the first four innings and took the loss for the Bulldogs. He gave up six hits and four runs, while walking two and striking out six. Colton Fearday went two innings and Seth Hotze pitched the seventh.

The Bulldogs finished their season with a 17-6 record.