Wheeler Eastman strode confidently into the batter’s box, took a few practice cuts and simply waited for his defining moment to arrive.

Faced with a pressure-packed situation, the senior catcher needed just one good swing to send Cullman’s baseball team to Montgomery for a fourth consecutive season.

It came on the second pitch of his ninth-inning at-bat.

Eastman ripped a single to left-center field, bringing home teammate Peyton Colvard and propelling the Class 6A No. 1 Bearcats to a 4-3 victory and semifinal sweep over sixth-ranked Hueytown on Thursday night.

The Black and Gold, which improved to 37-7, roared past the Golden Gophers (33-8) in the opener 8-1 before squeaking out a razor-thin triumph in the thrilling nightcap.

For Eastman, however, the feeling of coming through in the clutch for his program — and the raucous celebration that followed — won’t soon be forgotten.

“It felt great,” he said. “There’s nothing like it. That’s all I can say. I was just looking for a strike. I stayed back and got what I wanted. I fouled off the first pitch, then he threw me the same pitch again. It was up, though, and when I saw it come out of his hand, I knew I was going to hit it. Bad luck is going to happen in baseball. You really just have to keep at it until you break through.”

Cullman certainly had its run of hard times over the final three innings, which was equally compounded by some exceptional defensive plays from Hueytown.

After Jacob Heatherly tied the matchup in the seventh inning with an RBI single, Trent Price eventually came to bat with the bases loaded and one out. The first baseman proceeded to hit a line drive on the screws that was snagged by a diving Blake Howsey. The Golden Gopher left fielder then started an on-point relay that eventually gunned down Owen Lovell at home plate for the third out.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Bearcats once again loaded the bases only for Lovell’s screaming liner to be corralled by Hueytown third baseman Dylan Nivens, ending yet another potent threat for Brent Patterson’s squad.

The longtime Black and Gold coach wasn’t frustrated, though. In fact, he very much liked what he saw from his hitters in spite of the tough results.

“I kept feeling we were going to get one eventually,” Patterson said. “I didn’t know when or if it would be before them, but I knew we were going to score. Our at-bats progressively got better throughout the game. We had a lull there in the middle, and we didn’t compete as hard as we needed to compete, but we were able to overcome it.

“With all the swings in momentum, all the back and forth and back and forth, and both teams feeling like they had won it multiple times … this was a good one for us. It’s big to be able to win these types of series. It was big last weekend when every pitch was magnified, and it was big tonight because of extra innings. You want to win these.”

The Bearcats, who had yet to trail in the playoffs before Thursday, received offensive production from Price (three hits), Heatherly (two hits and two RBIs), Levi Thomas (two hits), Noah Fondren (two hits), Eastman (one hit and one RBI), Lovell (one hit) and Caleb Lipsey (RBI) in the Game 2 victory.

Heatherly’s groundout handed Cullman a 1-0 lead in the first inning, while his RBI single and Lipsey’s sacrifice fly tied the meeting on two separate occasions down the stretch.

Thomas pitched admirably on the mound, scattering four hits and 13 strikeouts over six innings. Kade Williams threw the final three innings in relief, earning the victory with a three-hit, four-strikeout effort.

While the latter contest wasn’t nearly as easy as the first, Eastman couldn’t help but enjoy the thrill-a-minute showdown a little more.

Sort of.

“It’s exciting, but I guess it’s frustrating, too,” he said. “The back-and-forth nature is really fun, but we also haven’t had too much of it, either. We’re experienced after last year’s up-and-down season. We had to fight back and fight back and fight back all the time. We’ve been here (Montgomery) four years in a row now, so I definitely feel like we’ve become good at it.”

Eastman and Co. had no issues taking control of the series earlier in the afternoon, storming out to a 4-1 advantage after three frames before adding on a pair of extra insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.

Price had another superb showing at the dish, amassing three hits and three RBIs, while Eastman put together a three-hit, two-RBI outing himself. Heatherly (one hit and two RBIs), Bowen (one hit), Lovell (one hit) and Ben Smith (one RBI) were all bright spots as well offensively.

Heatherly dominated on the mound, scattering six hits and three walks in a complete game effort. The left-hander struck out 10 batters and worked his way — calmly and efficiently — out of whatever trouble he faced from the opposition.

Cullman will play No. 2 Helena, which swept defending champion Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, in the 6A state championship series. The first game will take place at Paterson Field on Thursday, May 18 at 6 p.m. Games 2 and 3 will move over to Riverwalk Stadium at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (if necessary) on Friday.

The Bearcats downed the Huskies 5-0 early this season on the back of Heatherly’s impressive no-hitter.

“Any time you get to play for a state title, it’s exciting,” Eastman said. “We’ve played for a lot of them, but we get to play for one to end our careers as seniors. You can’t really ask for much more than that.”

Neither can Patterson, who has lauded his senior-laden team from Day 1.

Whatever happens next week won’t change his opinion on that.

“You love every group and want every group to go all the way every year,” he said. “But this group … nobody has ever invested more. They’ve bought in and souled out for this program. I’m very proud of them for being able to go back to Montgomery for a fourth straight year. They do the right things, stand for the right things and work hard every single day. We’re ready to go.”

Thank you Hueytown for your donation to the Wilson Family in memory of Curt Wilson.That’s why we love sports! @AHSAAUpdates #Family #CW20 pic.twitter.com/gTsQnLtTUl

— Cullman High School (@CullmanCats) May 12, 2017