Photo Provided St. Albans pinch-runner Devon Hatfield slides into home for the game-winning run as John Marshall catcher Cain Martin awaits the throw Tuesday at Jack Cook Field in the WVSSAC Class AAA state quarterfinals. John Marshall fell in the bottom of the eighth, 1-0.

HUNTINGTON — In a pitchers’ duel that lasted into extra innings, something had to give eventually.

John Marshall fell in the WVSSAC Class AAA state quarterfinals on Tuesday, the No. 7 Monarchs falling victim to a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning by No. 2 St. Albans’ Brayden Smith.

John Marshall pitcher Hayden Hughes pitched the entirety of the game for the Monarchs, who finish their season 22-13. He allowed just four hits through his 7.2 innings on the mound, striking out three and walking none inside Marshall University’s Jack Cook Field.

“Tip your hat to John Marshall,” St. Albans head coach Rick Whitman said. “The Hughes kid had us off-balance all day. I think we barreled up two balls, maybe. But we pitched well enough to keep us in the game. We got out of some tough situations, which was big.”

The two teams combined for 10 hits, with five apiece. The only extra-base hit of the defense-centric game came in the bottom of the eighth, when Mason Bledsoe shot the first pitch he saw to left field for a double. After the runner advanced to third on a groundout, Smith, the nine-hole hitter for the Red Dragons, hit a ball deep enough into center field to bring the game-tying run home on a tag-up.

On the other side of the pitcher’s duel, St. Albans’ Brogan Samms pitched 6.1 shutout innings, striking out nine and issuing five walks. Braxton Burke pitched the final five outs and struck out two, allowing one hit and no walks.

Cain Martin had two of John Marshall’s five hits. Jacob Cisar, Gavin Cline and Kain Ankrom also tallied hits for the Monarchs, who made their first trip to the state tournament since 2009.

Gavin Comer collected three hits for the Red Dragons.

Neither team committed an error Tuesday.

St. Albans advances to the Class AAA semifinals, set for Friday, where they will play the winner of Tuesday’s late-night game between No. 3 Shady Spring and No. 6 Robert C. Byrd.