PARKERSBURG — Top-seeded Parkersburg South will be playing for its postseason life come 6 p.m. today at Godbey Field. Here Tuesday night in the Class AAA, Region IV, Section 1 tournament at Godbey Field, the host Patriots (9-12) rallied from a 6-1 deficit against second-seeded Ripley to take a 9-6 advantage, but the Vikings pushed across six runs in the top of the seventh to advance to game four of the sectional on Thursday. In the opening round of the sectional, Ripley bolted out to a 7-2 lead after two frames, but it was all Parkersburg after that. The No. 3 seeded Big Reds (9-11) put up seven runs in each of the third and fifth frames as well as a two-run fourth en route to the 18-7 five-inning mercy victory versus the Vikings (14-9). PSHS starting pitcher Jordan Stanley, who didn’t factor into the decision, allowed back-to-back solo home runs to start the top of the first to Paige Swisher and Jaelyn Hunt. After a one-out walk to Katie Sinclair, Grace Walsh smacked a two-run tater for a 4-0 Ripley lead. Patriot losing pitcher Ashlee Ellison, who allowed four unearned runs in the seventh, doubled and scored on an error in the first. However, Viking third baseman Cassidy Young got that run back in the third on a towering bomb — her 11th of the campaign. Hunt’s RBI single made it 6-1 when she knocked in Lexi Miller in the fourth. Needing a big inning, Parkersburg South did just that and chased Ripley starter Chloe Shinn, who got a no-decision after working 3 1-3 innings. The Patriots sent 11 batters to the plate in the fourth and tallied seven runs. Makayla Sirk had a two-run double, Gigi Gerichten had an RBI single, Ellison laced a two-run double and Kelly Amos also had a run-scoring infield single. Ripley appeared to be in trouble after Ellison walked and scored on an error in the sixth as the Patriots were up 9-6 and needed three outs to eliminate the Jackson County squad. That didn’t prove to be the case, though, as Ripley batted around and scored six runs to extend its season. Kyra Winter started the seventh off with a walk and she scored after Sarah Brannon singled and the ball got past the Patriot outfielder. Pinch-runner Emilee Jordan crossed on a Swisher run-scoring hit and things went from bad to worse after Hunt reached via an error. That allowed Miller, who had an infield single, to cross. Sinclair’s key two-out RBI knock to center gave the Vikings the lead for good and Walsh got a pair of insurance tallies via a two-run double. Paige Winans, who made a pair of diving catches in right field, got the Patriot seventh started with a single, but she was erased on an unassisted 4-3 double play by Viking second baseman Tori Hinzman. Alexis Feick, who made a web gem when she made a fully-extended diving catch on a lined shot by Sinclair in the fourth, was the Patriots’ last hope. Although she smoked a shot off Hunt, the ball was lined right to the awaiting Swisher at shortstop to end it. For the Big Reds in their victory, Maggie Richards led the hitting barrage and finished 4 for 4 with three doubles and four runs-batted-in. Kacee Roberts, who drove in three runs, finished with three hits as too did Lexi Summers. Summers scored thrice and had an RBI single in the fifth. The Big Reds got production up and down the lineup. Leadoff hitter Maddi Leggett and No. 2 hitter Maggie Sauers combined for four hits, four runs scored and had two RBIs apiece. PHS catcher and cleanup hitter Emily Allen went 2 for 4 as did Janna Yost. Winning pitcher Kenzie Riddle added RBIs in the third and fifth while Brooklyn Figley had an RBI groundout in the fifth and singled in the second. Hunt took the loss after being staked to a 7-2 cushion and was lifted in the fourth for Jahlea Bumpus. Sinclair went 3 for 3 with three runs-batted-in for the Vikings, who also got a 2 for 3 effort with two RBIs from Taylor Johnson. Winter and Walsh also knocked in a run each for the Vikings, who also got 2 for 3 efforts from Swisher and Hunt.