BILOXI, Mississippi -- Tyler Bray retired the first 18 batters he faced on Sunday afternoon in the MJCAC playoffs against the Northeast Mississippi Tigers.

Bray combined with two other Gulf Coast pitchers on a three-hitter as the Bulldogs swept the best-of-three series with an impressive 5-0 victory. Gulf Coast (29-15) will open state tournament play Thursday in Fulton, Miss.

Bray, a 6-foot-7 sophomore right-hander from Vancleave, gave up a sharp single to pinch- hitter Will Robertson to lead off the seventh. The Tigers, who finished the season 16-29, loaded the bases with no outs in the inning before Bray retired the side.

"Tyler just came out and grabbed the bull by the horns," Gulf Coast coach Gary Rath said. "We talked about being aggressive and making them beat him. He pitched in advantage counts all day and really beat them with his fastball."

Bray earned his seventh victory against four defeats. He finished the game with eight strikeouts, including four called third strikes, and just one walk. The Bulldogs' Jordan Mata faced one batter in the eighth before Daniel Wineski closed the door with 1.2 innings of no-hit relief.

Bray said "nobody said anything in the dugout" about his bid for a perfect game, or at least a no-hitter, when he trotted to the mound for the seventh. Bray said the Bulldogs' early 2-0 advantage helped his approach and the Tigers were twice robbed on splendid defensive plays by Hunter Frierson, the center fielder, and Gulf Coast shortstop J.C. Cassidy.

"Getting those early runs helped me relax, and coach Rath called a great game from the dugout," Bray said. "Dieter (Hamilton, the catcher) blocked some low balls behind the plate, and we were able to challenge guys."

Pascagoula's Daniel Miles went 3-for-4 for the second straight game. He had a leadoff double and scored an insurance run in the Bulldogs' 7-5 victory on Saturday night, which didn't actually end until 1 a.m. Sunday. Miles drove in the Bulldogs' first run in Game 2 with an infield hit in the first, and added another RBI single in the sixth.

"Miles comes to play every day," Rath said.

The Bulldogs chased Kyle Stephenson, Northeast's starting pitcher, in the seventh inning. Frierson drove in two runs, one on a ground ball and another on an infield hit.

The series was moved from Perkinston to Biloxi because of wet grounds on the Bulldogs' home field. Wineski earned a save in Gulf Coast's 7-5 victory on Saturday.

-- Jim Mashek