The Long County Blue Tide softball team fell 12-5 to the North Hall Trojans in the semifinal round of the winner’s bracket and now face a long, tough road to their first state championship.

The Tide fell behind 1-0 in the first inning Thursday but it was a late rally that sealed the win for the Trojans.

North Hall stretched the lead to 5-0 in the fourth on two homers, a three-run blast to center field and a solo shot to left.

The Tide bats finally got going in the fourth. Yaya Sikes led off the bottom of the inning with a single and MK Crews followed with a double. Jersi Lester doubled to score one run before Alyssa Skipper doubled to bring home two more and cut the deficit to 5-3.

After the Trojans stretched the lead to 6-3 in the top of the sixth, Lana Lewis smashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame to pull the Tide to within 6-5.

The Trojans added one on a double in the sixth inning before the Tide would answer in the bottom of the inning.

Kinley Shuler’s second homer of the game, a three-run shot, capped a six-run outburst in the seventh for North Hall.

The Tide, 23-6 on the year, will play the winner of Harlem and Ridgeland on Friday at 1:15 p.m. North Hall advanced to meet West Laurens, a 10-4 winner over Cherokee Bluff, in the winner’s bracket final.

If the Tide win Friday afternoon, they will play again Friday in the loser’s bracket semifinals.