LONGVIEW — Longview earned one of its biggest baseball victories in recent memory in front of a standing-room-only home crowd on Thursday night, but must now focus on the Class 5A Region II quarterfinal closeout opportunity on Saturday.

The 20-15 Lobos battled through a pitching duel to earn a walk-off 2-1 win against 26-7-1 Hallsville in game one, and a 1-0 third-round playoff series lead before the best-of-three matchup heads to the Bobcats’ ballpark on Saturday for a noon game two and a possible late game three.

“It was huge with that crowd,” Longview baseball coach Jim Goldman said of his team’s series-opening performance. “Everyone was into it. I have not coached in something like that in a long time.”

Longview starting pitcher Cole Ramey set the tone early with five strikeouts over 7.2 innings of work, and reliever Campbell Williams continued the night with three punch outs in 1.1 frames, while Hallsville ace Landon Bowden answered with 13 punch outs in seven innings.

Ramey and Williams also worked with their Longview teammates to strand eight Hallsville baserunners, limit the Bobcats to one run, and take a defensive stand.

“Bowden was fantastic [on Thursday], but our kids hung in there,” Goldman said of his team’s fight in the game one win. “Cole was outstanding again, and then Campbell came in. We threw a couple guys out, and we pitched ourselves out of a lot of jams.”

Kieffer Doxey’s third inning double became the only Longview hit of the game, but the Lobos made the most of other opportunities that Hallsville handed them. That trend began in the bottom of the fourth. Jordan Allen, Drew Flores and Doxey were hit by a pitch, and Andrew Tutt reached on an error that allowed Allen to score the first run of the event.

It didn’t take long for Hallsville to tie the score 1-1 because Sawyer Dunagan’s sac fly drove in Jack Holladay in the top of the fifth, but Longview jumped on more Bobcat mistakes in the ninth to score the game-winning run.

After the Lobos loaded the bases without a hit, pinch runner Jacolbie Granville represented Flores at third base, and scored the game-winning run during DaTravion Gates’ walk-off RBI.

“Since the playoffs started, every kid has been focused on every pitch of every inning of every game,” Goldman said of his team’s extra inning magic. “I know [assistant coach Sam Tyler was] telling them to get good pitches to hit.”

Longview’s effort secured its second victory against Hallsville in the nine tries since March 8, 2019, and will need to remain sharp to top their neighbors again on Saturday to advance to play either Frisco Liberty or Frisco Reedy in next week’s regional semifinal round.

“We gotta win another one,” said Goldman. “We gotta go out Saturday and play our best baseball. These [Hallsville] guys are going to be a tough out. Every year, they’re good. We’re going to have to take it from them [again].”