MONTGOMERY, Alabama – The Spanish Fort Toros will have to wait another year to capture their fourth Class 5A baseball state championship.

The No. 1 Toros (38-9) fell 3-2 to No. 6 Hartselle (44-15) on Saturday in the deciding game of the 5A finals at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium. Hartselle won the series opener 8-2 on Friday. The Toros had won three straight baseball titles before Saturday.

“When it comes down to it we just weren’t good enough and I take full responsibility for that,” Spanish Fort head coach Brent Boyd said. “I can guarantee you that we will be good enough next year.”

Jesse McCord (9-2) gave up two earned runs on six hits with nine strikeouts in a complete game loss for Spanish Fort. Hartselle’s Brady Wallace (3-2) got the win in four innings of scoreless relief of starter Tillman Landers. Colton Ord pitched a scoreless seventh to get the save.

Spanish Fort took an early 2-0 lead on RBIs from McCord and Matt Hall and held it until the sixth inning. Hartselle tied the game on Blake Slayton’s RBI single in the sixth. The Tigers took the lead on series MVP Brett Blackwood’s RBI single in the ninth.

The Toros loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth but could not push a run across.

“We had some times we could have scored and throughout the year we usually got those runners in,” Boyd said. “That’s something we usually bank on. But in big games weird things happen. We didn’t get the job done that time and it cost us. But I can’t say enough about our guys. They got the job done last weekend, which was huge for us, and the weekend before. They have come up big all year. I want them to know they were a huge part of getting us here.”

Perteet had two hits, McCord had a hit, a walk and an RBI, Will Luft had a hit, a run and two walks and Eubanks had a walk and an RBI.

“We hit it pretty well, we just hit it right at them,” Boyd said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. If they make mistakes and we hit it, but it goes right at them, I’m okay with that. I’m not okay with a loss but I liked our effort and our approaches at bat.”

Spanish Fort graduates seniors Ryan Roberts, Tyler Trammell and Eubanks.

Hartselle head coach William Booth picked up career win No. 907 and the school's eighth baseball championship.