With the game still tight in the third inning, Gainesville’s David Gonzalez was asked to lay down a squeeze bunt with a runner on third. After failing to execute — he popped his bunt foul — he had to settle for a different result: a game-changing three-run homer.

Gonzalez’s towering, opposite-field shot to right put the Red Elephants in the driver’s seat, and they marched to a 14-5 victory over Troup on Saturday at Ivey-Watson Field in the third and deciding game of a Class AAA state playoffs opening-round series.

The Red Elephants (24-5), Region 8’s No. 2 seed, will travel to Woodward Academy for a three-game series beginning Wednesday in Atlanta. Woodward (24-3), a No. 1 seed out of Region 5, swept Heritage (Catoosa) on Friday.

Before Gonzalez’s home run, the Red Elephants had just taken a 4-3 lead with three runs in the inning. With runners on first and third, Gonzalez first failed to execute the bunt, then was at the mercy of the first base umpire after a check swing. It was ruled he didn’t go around, and he finally delivered on another chance, putting Gainesville ahead 7-3 with one swing.

“I said coach, would you want three runs, or one run on a squeeze?,” said a smiling Gonzalez. “He said, ‘I’ll take the three runs.’ I said, ‘I’m right there with you on that.’”

Added Red Elephants coach Jeremy Kemp, “That worked out pretty well. I’m kind of glad he didn’t get (the squeeze) down.”

For Gonzalez, the shot was redemption for taking the loss on the mound in Game 1 — Troup won 5-0. Gainesville rallied behind Hunter Anglin in the second game with a 7-1 victory to force a Game 3.

“I still have a sour taste in my mouth from that first game,” said Gonzalez, who allowed five runs in six innings in the series opener. “I'm just glad I get to go back out and pitch another game (this season).”

Stephen Mason was shaky, but effective on Saturday to earn the win, going four-plus innings and allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks. Three of Troup’s runs came in the first two innings. Jackson Oliver led off the game with a first-pitch double and scored two batters later.

Mason led off the second inning hitting the first batter and walking the next, with both coming around to score on back-to-back singles. But he settled down after that, and was noticeably comfortable following Gainesville’s six-run third inning.

“It was a big momentum boost for me,” Mason said. “I was struggling at first, and then they had that big inning for me and gave me run support. I knew they’d play defense behind me too, so I just went out there and threw strikes with the lead.”

With Mason pitching scoreless third and fourth innings, the Red Elephants tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Will Maddox hit a two-run single and Skyler Weber scored on a wild pitch.

Mason was pulled in the fifth in favor of Michael Gettys after walking the leadoff batter, who eventually came around to score. Gettys, a freshman right-hander, was effective on the mound in three innings of work, allowing a run on three hits and a walk.

But his biggest contribution came at the plate. He gave himself some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth with a grand slam. Gainesville loaded the bases thanks to back-to-back errors by the Troup third baseman, and Gonzalez’s infield single, to lead off the inning.

Gettys said he was finally able to exploit the way Troup had pitched him.

“They’ve been throwing me curve balls all series, every at bat,” Gettys said. “That was the first one I hit.”

Now the ninth-ranked Red Elephants hit the road to play Woodward, the state’s eight-ranked team. The War Eagles coasted in the first round, beating Heritage 14-3 and 17-7.

“We know what to expect, and that’s the main thing,” said Kemp of playing a state playoff series on the road. Last year, the Red Elephants hosted the first two rounds before playing at Thomson in the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated.

“These guys have an idea of what it’s like to play on the road.”

Mason, Weber, Maddox, Ryan Griffth, Gonzalez and freshman Sims Griffith all scored twice for Gainesville. Mason walked three times, Weber had three singles and Sims Griffith was 2-for-4 with a double.

Cody Sheffield took the loss for Troup (18-11), giving up nine runs on seven hits and four walks in three-plus innings. Garrett Cole, Jacob Ozley and Jarred Adams combined for five runs the final three innings.

Eric Escobedo, Cole, Sheffield and Brad Bartlett each scored in addition to Oliver.

It was a tough way to end the season for the Tigers, who have been without their No. 3 starter, Jackson Oliver, for weeks due to a labrum injury.

“That’s baseball,” Tigers coach Craig Garner said. “That’s the hand that you’re dealt. We had some guys who got opportunities, stepped up and did a good job. So we’ve got something to build on.

“And tip your hat to Gainesville. They hit the ball.”

Follow Adam Krohn at twitter.com/gtimesakrohn.