Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That’s what the Morgan Academy Senators were playing for Saturday and that’s exactly what they earned as they blew past Tuscaloosa Academy to earn the regional title and the right to play at home throughout the upcoming playoffs.

“It’s a great feeling. Home field is something we wanted and something we earned today,” Morgan Academy head baseball coach Bob Taylor said after his Senators crushed the Knights 15-8. “It’s a big deal. Our kids get to sleep in their own beds. They get to play of this field; the same field we have been playing on and practicing on since February.”

Taylor, who is in his first season with Morgan, said the Senators went through some ups and downs throughout the season, but have been playing good baseball lately.

“It took some time for the kids to get used to me and me to them,” Taylor said. “But, we are really playing good baseball right now and are really hitting the ball. We’re looking forward to the playoffs.”

Morgan will play at home Thursday against Lee-Scott Academy in the first round of the playoffs. The best of three series will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday with a doubleheader and then, if needed, a final and deciding game will be played Friday.

As for Saturday’s game against Tuscaloosa, the Senators rode the left arm of starting pitcher John Pomeroy, who had a roller coaster of a game.

After breezing through the first inning, Pomeroy had to battle through the rest of his five innings of work.

In the second inning, Pomeroy, who was spotted a 4-run lead by the Senators’ offense in the first inning, walked the first two batters and then struck out the next three.

In the third inning, more walks led to Tuscaloosa’s first runs of the game, but Pomeroy struck out the final batter of the inning after the Knights had loaded the bases with two outs.

“John really battled today and that’s what you’re looking for in a young man,” Taylor said. “He struggled at times today with his command, but he was able to pitch himself out of some tough situations.”

With Morgan leading 7-3 going into the top of the fifth inning, Tuscaloosa’s offense finally came alive, scoring three runs to close the gap to just one run.

But Morgan exploded in the bottom of the fifth with six runs of their own to blow the game open.

Crawford Traylor finished off the game on the mound, giving up just two runs over his two innings of work in relief.