Playing for the area title Friday night at Montevallo against Bibb County, the Dallas County Hornets exploded for seven runs in the fourth inning and salted away an 8-4 win.

The win means all the off-season work the Hornets and the Dallas County Booster Club did on their homefield will make a difference in the post season.

The field’s improvements came with an eye towards the post season. Before, even if Dallas County earned a home playoff game, they couldn’t play there.

Now, the Hornets will host Monroe County on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The Hornets have enjoyed a pretty strong homefield advantage.

In Friday’s game Dallas County took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second only to see Bibb tie things up in the bottom half of the frame.

The teams stayed locked at one until the Hornets ripped off seven runs in the top of the fourth.

The seven run lead was more than enough for Hornets’ ace Justin Hollis.

Hollis went the distance, allowing four hits and two earned runs.

He struck out nine.

At the plate, the Dallas County seniors led the way.

Hollis added a two-RBI double.

His battery-mate Clint Cooper was 2-for-3 and Justin Irwin was 3-for-4 with a two singles and a triple.

Tyler Hollis went 2-for-3 with a triple and a double.

Things got going in the seceond when Cody Massey singled and drove T. Hollis home.

Bibb tied it up in the bottom of the inning.

Dallas County put things away in the fourth.

Shane Moreland led the inning off with a walk and Irwin tripled him home.

Massey reached on an error at third and gave Roman Paxton runners on the corners.

The eagled-eye lead-off man worked a walk and loaded the bases for Chase Knight who creamed a double off the right field wall, scoring two runs.

J. Hollis followed with a double off the left field wall for two more runs.

T. Hollis brought his brother home with the Hornets’ third two-RBI double in a row.

The rest was cruising from there.

Bibb made things interesting, cutting the lead to 8-4 but they never really threatened again.