The Bowdon High School baseball team continued its penchant for winning close games on Monday night, while visiting Haralson County remained winless this season after leading 5-1 in an eventual 8-5 Red Devil victory at W.C. Roop Field.

Josh Jennings’ three-run home run that easily cleared the left-field fence in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be the game-winner for Bowdon, capping a methodical comeback.

The Red Devils (7-3) were first on the board in the game in the bottom of the first inning when Jennings launched an RBI double to left to score Jordon Loveless, who had reached on a walk.

But five unanswered runs by the Rebels (0-5) put them out front by a 5-1 count midway through the contest.

“That’s become something we do every night, it seems like now,” Red Devil coach Stephen Mitchell said of the early deficits. “It makes the game interesting, but I would like for us to come out a little faster in the future.”

Haralson pitcher Micah Thompson drew a walk to lead off the top of the second, advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches and scored on a Jacob Goldin fielder’s choice to tie the game. After a fly-ball out to right field for Taylor Windom, Zach McKenzie blasted a homer to center field that hit the flagpole and pushed the Rebels out front, 2-1.

Mason Durocher and Cole Godwin had back-to-back singles with one out in the top of third, with Durocher taking second on a passed ball before advancing to third on Godwin’s infield single. A Thompson fielder’s choice scored Durocher to make it 3-1 in Haralson’s favor.

A pair of walks to start the top of the fourth, for Windom and McKenzie, set up a pair of runs. After a Cody Leatherwood strikeout, Bryce Wrenn’s fly-ball out to center field allowed Windom to tag up and reach third. One batter later, he scored on a Ryan Rigdon single to left. After Durocher was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Rob Brown relieved Bowdon starter Jordan Jones.

An errant throw by Brown on a pickoff attempt allowed McKenzie to score and push it to 5-1 before Brown got Godwin to fly out to Leatherwood at first base.

“The kids played great. We got a great effort out of the pitching staff,” HC assistant coach Brandon Cash said. “Bats are coming around. We’re just so close we can taste it. We’ve just got to get over that hump.”

The Red Devils then began cutting into their deficit in the bottom of the fourth, as RBI singles by Seth Key and Nathan Montgomery scored Quinn Robinson and Josh Stapler and Montgomery scored on a passed ball to pull Bowdon within 5-4 after four innings.

“It would have really been a big been a letdown to lose this game,” Jennings said. “And so it was big for us to battle back as a team and get this win and move forward from it.”

Brown walked the first two batters in the top of the fifth before getting Windom to ground out to Loveless at shortstop and then snagging a line drive off McKenzie’s bat and doubling off Thompson at third to end the inning.

Thompson, who went all six defensive innings on the mound for the Rebels, set the Red Devils down 1-2-3 in the fifth, but they got going again in the sixth.

Stapler was hit by a pitch to start the inning before Key had a foul-ball fly-out to third base and Montgomery grounded into a fielder’s choice that forced Stapler out at second. Montgomery stole second and took third on a passed ball before Loveless came through with a vital two-out RBI infield single to score Montgomery and tie the contest, 5-5.

Drew Roberts then drew a walk before Jennings lifted his monster shot to left to clear the bases and make it 8-5 — Bowdon’s first lead since 1-0.

“Right when I hit it, I knew it was gone,” Jennings said.

Loveless, who pitched a scoreless and hitless sixth and seventh while striking out two and walking two to earn the win, walked Godwin to start the seventh before getting Thompson to fly out and Goldin and Windom to strike out.

“I thought our pitchers did a good job from beginning to end,” Mitchell said.

While it wasn’t a win for Haralson, Cash saw some positive developments.

“The kids are having fun playing ball,” Cash said. “We’ve just got to keep working, keep getting better. (Wins) will come.”

And though it wasn’t the prettiest game for the Red Devils ahead of today’s 5 p.m. Region 6-A game at Mt. Zion, Mitchell couldn’t complain about a win.

“We’ve got a big region game (Tuesday), and you know, I don’t know if we had that on our mind or if we had the loss from Friday (to Darlington) on our mind,” Mitchell said. “But like I said, a win’s a win. And we’ve still got a long way to go. But we’re getting better, and we’re learning to win some tight ball games.”

In other prep action:

Callaway 5, Central 4: Garrett White took the tough-luck loss for the Lions (2-6) after a strong 5.2 innings on the mound. White also had a solo home run for Central.

White gave up a walk and then a double that tied the game in the sixth inning before John Harman relieved him and gave up a pair of singles that pushed the Cavaliers ahead for good.

Creekside Christian 16, Holy Ground Baptist Academy 12: The Stallions lost their first-ever game on Saturday.

The best inning for the Stallions came with a seven-run outburst in the top of the second, highlighted by a two-run home run by Austin Edwards.

Edwards added another homer, but five unearned runs late cost Holy Ground the game.

Edwards finished 2-for-3 with the two home runs, five RBI and two runs scored to lead the Stallions. Mills Bergmann added three hits for Holy Ground.

The Stallions return to action March 22 at Barnes Christian.