After two games that were pretty much decided not long after they started, the Mundy’s Mill Tigers and Jones County Greyhounds played Game 3 like there was no tomorrow.

And there wasn’t.

Fortunately, the Tigers overcame a slow start to earn a 4-2 victory Saturday and advance to the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs.

Senior Mathew Wilson, freshman Jordan Robinson and sophomore Rodney Smith all drove in runs for Mundy’s Mill (21-7), which will visit defending-champion Marist (16-12-1) on Wednesday.

“We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Mundy’s Mill coach Patrick Smith said. “We were mentally ready for this game. I think our out-of-region play early in the season prepared us for this.”

In the first three innings, the Tigers fell into a habit of walking batters while being held hitless but faced just a 1-0 deficit.

Then in the bottom of the third, Mundy’s Mill escaped its second bases-loaded jam when third baseman Rashad Crawford snagged a line drive before diving to touch the bag for the inning-ending double play.

“The double play was big,” Patrick Smith said. “It really helped us get out of the inning. Our pitchers were struggling. We were fortunate to get a line drive and get a double play.”

As a result, Corey Harmon notched the Tigers’ first hit — a two-out single — in the fourth and Wilson followed with a double to right to plate Harmon for a 1-1 score. After Darius Wheeler pitched a 1-2-3 fourth, Mundy’s Mill took the lead on an RBI single by Robinson in the fifth.

But the Greyhounds would make the Tigers pay for their control issues on the mound and pull even at 2-2 in the bottom of the frame with a run-scoring single.

However, Mundy’s Mill would respond and take control for good in the sixth when Rodney Smith laid down a perfect bunt with two on to plate Keylin Price for a one-run edge.

“We get runners on, push them over and come up with clutch hits,” Patrick Smith said. “That’s what we’ve done all year.”

Two batters later, Jones County had trouble fielding a ground ball at second and Rodney Smith scored for a 4-2 advantage.

Then in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on first, Harmon struck out the final batter looking to seal the win.

“When you’ve got good pitching, you always give yourself a chance,” Smith said.

On Friday, Mundy's Mill won the opener 11-1 before Jones County responded in Game 2 with a 14-2 triumph.