AMITE—The Sumner Cowboys played like they really wanted that playoff berth Monday. And now they've got it.

Clint McDaniel continued his masterful pitching down the stretch in District 10-3A games and the Cowboys’ offense produced a five-run second inning to take command as the Cowboys rolled over Albany 12-1 in a playoff to settle third place in the district.

Sumner (8-11) won easily to claim the playoff berth. On Wednesday, the Class 3A playoff coaches will meet to set the seedings. That's when the Cowboys find out where they'll travel for the bi-districts — not that they much care.

"I'm sure we're going to draw a pretty high ranked team, but I've told the kids it doesn't matter," Cowboys coach Mike Cassel said. "We're going to go out there and give them what we've got and see what happens."

They assured themselves that chance as McDaniel checked the Hornets on five hits, allowing no earned runs, no walks, one hit batter and one strikeout. He has allowed a total of two runs over his last four district games.

"He has given us a big lift, and we're swinging the bats better," Cassel said. "We've improved as the year's gone on. Early in the year we played the Ponchatoulas and the Franklintons and the big schools and we took our bruises. But the kids held it together and continued to improve."

Sumner capitalized on Albany mistakes in building itself a 6-0 lead over the first two innings. Brent Cooper singled in the first and scored on a dropped fly ball by the Hornets. And in the second, Matthew Bridges and Matthew Newman had singles, and Albany helped out by walking two batters and committing three more errors.

Newman had an RBI, Zach Melerine and Brent Cooper each scored on throwing errors and another came in on a passed ball.

Albany got its only run in the third when Haiden Goodwin singled and scored when Tyler Degenhardt's single was misplayed for a two-base error to make it 6-1. But McDaniel shut the Hornets down in the final two innings.

Sumner got that one back in the fourth when Cory Varnado singled and scored on a wild pitch, then plated four runs in the seventh to cinch it. Four straight walks to open the inning pushed Bridges across, with Cooper getting the RBI walk, Russ Bonner chased one home on an RBI ground out, another scored on a wild pitch and McDaniel singled home the last run to complete a 3-for-5 day at the plate.

Varnado was 2-for-4 and Cooper scored three runs and one RBI for Sumner. Denny Dansby and Shane Denney had the other hits for Albany.