It's not how you start, but how you finish that counts.

The Andalusia Bulldog baseball team proved the old clich Tuesday with a 13-6 road win against the UMS-Wright Bulldogs on Tuesday.

The win secures the Andalusia Bulldogs a playoff spot as the Class 4A, Area 1 runner-up.

The Bulldogs finished area play with a 4-2 record and a clean sweep of UMS-Wright to finish second.

The Gulf Shores Dolphins finished a perfect 6-0 in area play to earn the area championship.

UMS-Wright finished in third with a 2-4 area record. The Hillcrest Jaguars finished in last place in the area standings with an 0-6 record.

The Bulldogs went on top 1-0 in the top of the first inning of Tuesday's game against UMS-Wright when Neal Patterson reached base on an error and came around to score.

The UMS-Wright Bulldogs did not let the Andalusia players enjoy their lead for very long. UMS-Wright scored five runs in the bottom of the inning for a 5-1 lead.

UMS-Wright scored five runs on three hits, three errors and a walk in the first inning.

The score remained 5-1 until the top of the third inning when Andalusia cut UMS-Wright's lead to one run.

Trevor Mathews reached on a walk and scored when Tyler Wilson ripped an RBI-double.

Jake Hollingsworth reached on a single later in the inning and Wesley Liles came in as a courtesy runner for the Andalusia catcher.

Wilson and Liles both scored when Andrew Harry reached on an error by the UMS-Wright left fielder.

Andalusia trailed UMS-Wright 5-4 going into the fourth inning.

UMS-Wright added to its lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with one run for a 6-4 lead.

Patterson scored in the top of the sixth inning for Andalusia after reaching on an error to get Andalusia back within one run of UMS-Wright.

Hollingsworth set up the Andalusia Bulldogs to tie the game and send it into extra innings in the top of the seventh inning. Hollingsworth reached on a one-out single. Liles came in to run for the catcher and scored on an RBI-single by Will Cammack to tie the game up at 6-6.

In the eighth inning, Andalusia's offense got hot scoring seven runs for a 13-6 lead.

Wall started the rally when he reached on a walk. Wilson followed him with a single. Cole Sightler was next and ripped an RBI-single. Hollingsworth followed with a single to load the bases.

Harry came up big, again, with another two-RBIs off a single.

Jacob McCollough was the next batter and grounded out, but Andalusia was not finished.

Cammack drew a walk and Patterson pounded an RBI-single. Mathews had a huge hit in the inning with a three-RBI double only to be thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

UMS-Wright finally got out of the inning, but Andalusia shut down the UMS-Wright batters in the bottom of the inning behind Wilson to get the win.

Daniel Wall was the winning pitcher for Andalusia, allowing six runs on eight hits and four walks. He struck out eight.

Tyler Wilson got the save pitching one inning of relief work. He allowed one hit and one walk and struck out one.

Patterson was 1-for-6 in the game with three runs scored and one RBI. Mathews was 1-for-5 with one run scored and three RBIs. Wall was 0-for-5 with one run scored and one run scored. Wilson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Sightler was 1-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI. Hollingsworth was 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Harry was 3-for-4 with one run scored and four RBIs. McCollough was 1-for-4 with one RBI. Cammack was 1-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI.

The Bulldogs are tentatively scheduled to play again Friday at Northview in Dothan beginning at 6 p.m.