The curse is over and the monkey is dead for the 24-9 Demopolis High Tigers baseball team as they advance to the second round of the AHSAA playoffs for the first time in two years.

The No. 2 ranked Tigers pulled out the big sticks Wednesday to ten-run rule the visiting Daleville Warhawks 13-3 through six innings in the first round of the AHSAA playoffs.

Though the Tigers have had their share of problems getting past the dreadful one game series of the first round playoffs, on Wednesday the Tigers literally knocked the monkey from their backs with a hard-hitting attack that would see the Tigers rack up 13 runs on 15 hits in just six innings of play.

“I’m beyond words right now,” DHS head coach James Moody said. “I cannot express how proud I am of this team right now.

Junior Chad Schroeder led the way for the Tigers with the stick as he went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and a home run. Junior Devin Goodwin went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs as did junior first basemen William Meador and junior catcher Clarke Kerby.

Goodwin picked up his sixth win of the season on the hill as he went six innings earning 4K’s, while giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits with one walk. “Devin gave us a good showing out there today and did exactly what we needed for him to do to pick up the win,” Moody said.

But it was the Tigers bats that got all the attention from the large crowd that was on hand to witness this special moment in DHS Tiger baseball history.

After a somewhat slow start at the plate, the Tigers began to pick up momentum as the game progressed into the third and fourth innings. After a walk by Daleville starting pitcher Matt Sullivan to start the bottom of the third inning, the Tigers found themselves in a hitting groove that resulted in two quick runs to give them a 2-1 lead.

Schroeder doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Junior Bart Pettus then hat a sacrifice fly that would score G. W. Washington at third to make it a 2-1 game. William Meador then ripped an RBI single into the gap to score Schroeder form second base and the Tigers took a 3-1 lead.

But it was in the bottom of the fourth that the Tigers really got on a roll offensively as they would go on to rack up six runs to take an impressive 9-1 lead. Junior Clarke Kerby started things off for the Tigers with a double. Junior Seth Basinger then reached first on a walk by Sullivan and junior Jonathan Sommers bunted his way to first to load the bases. With the door wide open for opportunity to take control of the game the Tigers did not hesitate about walking through it, and in doing so earned their first playoff victory in two years.

“This was the big one for us,” Moody said. “This game has mentally plagued us for far too long. It was a mighty, mighty big win.”

Next up for the Tigers will be a date with the Monroe County Tigers this Saturday in Monroeville for another one-game series in the second-round of the playoffs.