Cullman’s Trent Price stands out in a sea of elated Bearcats following Maison Goodwin’s walk-off triple last Friday at Southside-Gadsden. The top-ranked Black and Gold will host Pinson Valley Friday in the Class 6A semis.

The road to Montgomery is making one last stop at Cullman High.

On the line in a three-game series against Pinson Valley starting Friday at 5 p.m. are a coveted spot in the Class 6A state championship series and, for 11 Bearcat seniors, the final opportunity to bid farewell to Bill Shelton Field on a winning note.

Noah Holder is trying to steer clear of the subject until the moment he’s officially done on the diamond he’s always called home. Fellow senior Cole Collins, however, is facing the realization right in the eye.

Mostly.

“I really don’t like thinking about it too much because there’s been so many good times on this field,” the Wallace State signee said. “It’s pretty cool having the fourth round at home, but I’m not ready for it to end.”

In the most Drake Hollingsworth way possible, the senior backstop deadpanned that the thought of closing up shop on campus is enough to make him “tear up a little bit.” Though the waterworks were far from actually starting, the UAH signee couldn’t deny he will indeed miss the familiar Cullman confines. The teammates he’s shared them with, too.

“This has been the best baseball year,” Hollingsworth said. “It’s just great. It’s been a lot of fun playing with these guys.”

Saying so long to Bill Shelton Field with anything but victory isn’t really an option to the Black and Gold’s surplus of seniors. According to Collins, though, it’s not safe to call it a done deal just yet.

“If we don’t come ready to play, they’ll put us in our place,” he said. “They’re real scrappy. They’re hard-nosed. If you give those types of teams hope, they can very easily come away with the win.

“It’s baseball. Anything can happen.”

For proof, just look back to 2011, the last time Cullman and Pinson Valley met in the playoffs. The squads split the first two tilts of their third-round series and the Indians had the ’Cats down to their final out and strike before Patterson’s team rallied for the improbable triumph.

Two-strike double by Matthew Britton. Two-strike double by Ben Moore. Intentional walk. Walk-off three-run homer by Daniel Moore off the top of Cullman’s batting cage.

Game over, 8-5.

Not a bad set of circumstances for Patterson and his coaching staff to glean from as the programs prepare for another clash four seasons later.

“2011 needs to teach us a lesson,” he said. “They’re going to come in here trying to take a game from us, and they’ve got nothing to lose because they’re the underdog. If they lose, they’ve had a great season. They’ve made the final four.

“I’ll just be honest with you. It’s not like that (for us). We haven’t had a great season if we lose. It’s different.”

Under that criteria, the Black and Gold’s 2011 and 2014 seasons certainly weren’t considered great, even if both ended in Montgomery. In each instance, Cullman fell in the finals to Spanish Fort, which is still alive on the South’s side of the 6A state bracket.

It’d be safe to assume the top-ranked Bearcats (41-9) would prefer another shot at the No. 3 Toros should they bypass Pinson Valley, but Patterson, unsurprisingly, won’t say as much. In fact, he was so tight-lipped on the subject that he, while unsuccessfully trying to keep a straight face, claimed he didn’t even know who Spanish Fort is playing this week.

Spoiler alert, coach, it’s Pelham, the second-ranked team Cullman blew a 4-0 lead to on Opening Day this spring. The Black and Gold quickly rebounded for a pair of wins in similar situations the following week and have continued to learn from any other speed bumps encountered along the way.

“We don’t make long speeches to them,” Patterson said. “We don’t show them motivational movies. We try to play the best schedule you can possibly play. Hopefully we’ve put them in positions in games and practices where we’re prepared to do whatever it takes to win.”

Experience at this late juncture in the postseason plays largely into the Bearcats’ favor. They’re 8-2 all-time in the semifinals — the losses came in 1989 and 2009 — while Pinson Valley is 1-1 with a single finals appearance in 2005.

The Indians, who came up short to Cullman in the second round in 2004, dropped their only other semifinal series to Hartselle in 2013.

Speaking of the Tigers, Hollingsworth said what he’s gathered from Patterson is that Pinson Valley is “Hartselle-ish.” Considering the Tigers’ status as a perennial state title contender, the Indians should take that solely as a compliment.

Pinson Valley (32-13) lost last Friday’s opener but responded with consecutive wins versus Briarwood Christian to escape the quarterfinals. Raul Tafoya tossed a complete game in the tiebreaker, and Destin Davidson, Gage Farley, Hunter Davidson and Blake Sisson, among others, made offensive impacts.

“They’re just a really good team,” Hollingsworth said. “They’ve got some good pitching, good fielders, good hitters. It’s going to be a good game.”

In the event Cullman and Pinson Valley split Friday, the foes would put it all on the line Saturday at 2 p.m.

To counter an expected uptick in attendance, Patterson said extra seating will be set up down the right field line. Admission, per the Alabama High School Athletic Association, is $8 Friday and $6 for a potential third game.