Two home runs set the stage for the third installment of the Babe Ruth World Series rivalry between the Southeast Tropics and Alabama Rawdogs.

Quincy’s Walters hit a grand slam during a nine-run rally in the fourth inning that set up an 11-1 run-rule victory over Mid-County (Texas) on Wednesday in the quarterfinal round.

In a quarterfinal rematch between Puerto Rico and the Tropics that was much more competitive than the first meeting, Tropics catcher Trey Benthal hit a two-run home run to push them to victory.

The epic rematch between the Tropics and Rawdogs will take place in the semifinals at 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 15 at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo., not to decide the World Series champion, but for a spot in the championship game.

The Tropics defeated the Rawdogs 3-2 to win the World Series last year on their home turf. The year before that saw the Rawdogs on top, prevailing 6-0 in Ephrata, Washington.

The 2023 World Series ended with controversy on Alabama’s end. The Rawdogs saw a handful of key players disqualified for being over the age limit and they responded in the end by throwing their second-place trophies in the Capaha Park pond.

"We're gonna play like any other team but it's still that little extra fire under us playing with the Rawdogs again," Benthal said.

Because of Carson McDaniel throwing six shutout innings with nine strikeouts, an RBI single from Mason Adams in the first inning would’ve suffice for the Tropics.

"He's an animal and he's a competitor," Benthal said of McDaniel. "I love catching him back there."

Ross Peters closed out the game in the seventh inning as a form of redemption after struggling in a previous outing against Mountain View (CA), a game that the Tropics eventually went on to win.

"Ross had a bad game the other day, he knows that," Benthal said. "But he came out and really showed who he is and I'm glad he did that."

The winner of the third and final matchup will go on to play the winner between the Aycorp Fighting Squirrels and Kelso (WA) in the championship game at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The losers of both semifinals will meet in the third-place game, which is scheduled before the final.

Regardless, it is the final day of the Southeast Tropics as a program. Manager Dustin Schwartz announced prior to the start of the season he would step aside from leading the program to devote more time to his family, which includes his wife, Allison, and infant son, Jovi.

For a lot of Tropics players who came back after a year of junior college or have finished their high school careers, Thursday’s final slate of games will be bittersweet for them.

"It's going to be a bittersweet type of thing because we've been so close and we've developed such good friendships and a brotherhood throughout playing with this team,” Benthal said. “It's gonna be like a surreal moment but we'll go out there and play on fire like we always do."

As Benthal’s summer run comes to an end at this level, he’ll always remember the Tropics as a group of competitive former high school rivals.

"The Tropics has been so fun because it's full of competitors," Benthal said. "I love playing in that environment. I don't like it when people are just jogging around and stuff. These dudes are good players and animals and they love playing ball and I love to be around them."