MUSTANG — Eufaula landed a few punches on top-ranked Sperry here Saturday, but it was the Pirates who connected with the knockout blow in a three-run fourth inning to eliminate the 10th-ranked Ironheads 4-1 in the Class 3A semifinals at Mustang High School.

Ironheads pitcher Ethan Sharp (7-2) was touched for 14 hits over seven innings. But until a pair of costly mistakes in the top of the fourth, he kept finding a way out of danger.

But in the fourth, Dylan Bundy led off the frame with an infield single to second base and almost scored on a deep fly ball by Bobby Bundy a batter later. The latter Bundy smashed a Sharp fastball deep into center field, but Ryan Helms tracked it down a split second before crashing into the wall. His brother, who had made the turn at second, had to return to first to avoid being doubled off.

Helms survived the crash, standing up moments later, but his heroics weren’t enough.

Byron Teel followed with a single and a line drive by Blake Cate put Sperry (34-3) back on top, 2-1. Shane Bay then connected with a hard-hit groundball to shortstop Trevor Walch, who booted the grounder and then threw high to the plate, allowing two more runs to score.

Dylan Bundy made the score stand from there. The younger Bundy — Dylan is just a freshman — allowed just five hits, one walk and one run in seven innings, striking out nine in moving his record to 10-1. He also outdid his older and more heralded brother at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two singles, a double, a run and an RBI.

Bobby Bundy, who is listed among Baseball America’s top national recruits, finished 1-for-4 with a lone third-inning single representing his only hit.

“I was just asked if I was scared at all, putting a freshman out there in such an important game,” said Sperry coach and Muskogee High School Hall of Fame member Bill Fisher immediately after the win. Fisher was a basketball and baseball standout at Muskogee Central High School who graduated from there in 1953.

“With anyone else, maybe I would be, but not with him. He’s remarkable for a 15-year-old freshman. He just loves competition.”

But the game was never out of reach for Eufaula (24-11). After Justin Burns hit a bloop single with two outs in the third, Walch followed by hitting a Bundy fastball high into the wind in short left field that fell to the ground after blowing all the way to right-center. With two outs, Burns was running the entire time and scored easily to tie the game at 1.

Unfortunately for the Ironheads, that exchange represented almost the entirety of their offense on the day. Down 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Hayden Walch — who had advanced to second on an error by the Sperry second baseman — was thrown out trying to sneak into third after a Bundy pitch bounced away from catcher Robbie Bernhardt. Kyle Banghert followed with a strikeout to end the game.

“We had a couple of hits but we just didn’t get some when we needed them with men on base,” said Eufaula coach Stacy Helms. “We’re a young team and we made some mistakes at times that cost us, but we got what we wanted. We wanted to play Sperry and we got here and held our own against them.

“The only thing left to do is get back here next year and do it again.”