After capturing its first region title in 13 years, Lakeside extended its winning ways into the postseason.

The Panthers won a pair of marathon games, 4-0 and 11-6, to knock out Griffin in the first round of the Class AAAA playoffs Friday night.

Lakeside (22-5-1), the Region 3-AAAA champion, will play host to Harris County on Wednesday.

"If we'd have lost this series, we would have felt like underachievers," first-year Lakeside coach T.J. Davis said. "I think we're starting to learn how to win and beat teams we need to beat."

Panthers senior Ryan Hutchins struck out 10 in five innings to pick up the win in the first game. Lakeside pounded out 17 hits in the second.

Second baseman Spencer Starnes hit a two-out, two-run single for the Panthers in the fifth inning of Game 1 to break a scoreless tie. Right fielder Zach Hayden had two of Lakeside's five hits and scored two runs.

Hayden, a junior, went 6-for-7 in the doubleheader. Outfielder Collin Parker went 4-for-5.

Griffin, the No. 4 seed from 4-AAAA, had its chances in Game 1. The Bears' leadoff man reached five times in seven innings. But Griffin hurt itself by being too aggressive.

Lakeside catcher Mike Gram threw out Victor Gamble trying to steal third in the first inning. In the fourth, Panthers third baseman Ryan Shipp fielded a weak grounder and gunned down Theo Tramontana at the plate.

In the fifth, Griffin loaded the bases with one out. But when Gamble failed to get a squeeze bunt down, Chandler Worthy got caught in a rundown and was ultimately tagged out by Hutchins.

"Pitching and defense, we harp on that a lot," Davis said. "Fielding-wise we played a heck of a game."

In Game 2, Gram and Patrick Arrington homered in the first two innings for Lakeside. Arrington's three-run blast to center field in the second staked the Panthers to a 6-3 lead.

Lakeside pitcher Harrison Brawley allowed a walk and four consecutive singles to Griffin's first five batters. The senior right-hander scattered four hits the following three innings to earn the victory.

Ben Black, who notched the Game 1 save, and Hayden combined to close out the Bears.