POCATELLO — Payton Cleaves has had an emotional week, had a scary moment on Friday and is overcoming all of it to help his baseball team win.

One more heroic performance, and Cleaves and his teammates can celebrate a district championship.

Cleaves went 3 for 4 with three runs Friday, leading the Pocatello Runnin Rebels to a 7-5 win over the Twin Falls Cowboys in the semifinals of the Double-A Area C Legion tournament at Halliwell Park. The shortstop finished the game after a scary fourth-inning at-bat, when he was hit in the back of the head by a pitch.

The game paused for a few minutes while Cleaves was on the ground with his hands grasping the back of his head. Admittedly a little disoriented, Cleaves eventually got up and jogged to first base.

In his next at-bat the following inning, he blooped his third base hit of the game into shallow left field.

"I wanted to finish," Cleaves said. "It's a big deal to our team, so I'd like to help out and at least finish the game."

It wasn't just the team Cleaves was playing for.

On July 15, Cleaves' grandmother, LaVeda Cleaves, passed away. Before he stepped into the batter's box for each at-bat Friday, Payton used his finger to draw his grandmother's initials in dirt, then picked up some of the dirt and rubbed it into his hands.

"Then I just get up there and hit," Payton said. "Something relaxes me."

In two district tournament games, Payton is 6 for 7 with five runs, four RBIs and two extra-base hits. He went 3 for 3 and was a home run shy of the cycle Thursday in Pocatello's 10-3 win over Upper Valley.

LaVeda's service is Saturday, eight hours before the Runnin Rebels' district championship game. Payton plans to play.

"We're here for him," teammate Dylan Jester said. "There's a lot of things bigger than baseball."

Jester and the rest of the squad used Payton's hit-by-pitch as a turning point.

Jester was the first player to step to the plate after it happened. He worked a full count and, after hitting one foul, clubbed a double to deep left-center field. Two runs scored, including Payton, to give Pocatello a 4-3 lead.

Dylan Jester 2-run double gives @PokyLegionBB 4-3 lead.

Runnin Rebels lead Twin Falls 6-3 B4. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/Zskh1ffQnr

— Madison Guernsey (@MGuernsey_ISJ) July 20, 2019

The Runnin Rebels scored two more runs that inning and never gave the lead back.

"Right when (Payton) got up, he said do a job," Jester said. "I took that to heart and I kind of just did my role, didn't try to do much, putting the ball to the barrel."

Jester joined Payton in the Runnin Rebels' hit parade, going 3 for 3 with a double, triple and three RBIs. He also walked twice, reaching base in all five trips to the plate.

His run-scoring triple in the opening frame got Pocatello off to a fast start. Payton, Jester and Seth Nate connected for three consecutive hits to open the game and a 2-0 lead.

No. 2-seeded Twin Falls fought back and pulled ahead 3-2 in the second, but could only chip away once Pocatello regained its advantage.

"We came out hot," Jester said. "Kept the energy up the whole game."

Nate got the win on the mound, scattering five runs (one earned) over 5 2/3 innings. Jaxon Christensen relieved him, recording all four of his outs via K.

The trip to state is an achievement, but a small one compared to what a district title would be, Jester and Payton agreed. The No. 3-seed Runnin Rebels (31-16) face the top-seeded Idaho Falls Bandits at 7 p.m. Saturday for the crown.

"We all worked pretty hard for this," Payton said. "So I think we all deserve a district championship, to be honest."

FINAL:@PokyLegionBB Runnin Rebels 7, Twin Falls 5.

Pocatello is headed to state and plays the IF Bandits tomorrow for the Area C championship. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/Gr7DhbvmhQ

— Madison Guernsey (@MGuernsey_ISJ) July 20, 2019

POCATELLO RUNNIN REBELS 7, TWIN FALLS COWBOYS 5

Pocatello 200 410 0 — 7 11 2

Twin Falls 030 101 0 — 5 7 4

Pocatello — WP: Nate. 2B: Jester, Jones,Nate. 3B: Jester.

Twin Falls — LP: Walters. 2B: Walters. 3B: Walker.