The Carillon Sultans have advanced to round two of the Manitoba Junior Baseball League playoffs.

The Sultans plated five runs in the bottom of the second inning en route to a 6-3 victory over the St. Boniface Legionaires Friday night at A.D. Penner Park in Steinbach in the deciding third game of their opening round series.

After a tough top of the first inning when they gave up two unearned runs, Carillon settled down defensively and allowed just one run the rest of the way.

The left side of the infield was busy as shortstop Nic Kauenhofen and third baseman Justin Tremblay combined for 10 put outs.

And outfielders Riley Hunter and Cody Bartel each made a steller play late in game three.

With two out and a runner on second base, Hunter snared a hard-hit liner to centre field off the bat of Legionaires catcher Ty Webber in the top of the fifth inning to preserve the Sultans three run lead.

One inning later, Bartel caught Steven Campbell's fly ball to right and then threw a bullet to home plate.

Nick Grenier tagged out Jeremy Magnifico, who was trying to score on that sacrifice fly, to end the top of the sixth.

"When you only have one out or no outs and runners on base, it's a lot harder to get out of an inning," said Grenier who belted a two-run homer in Carillon's five-run second inning. "But when you can get outs on the bases and get runners off like that, it really saves on the pitchers."

Carson Epp got the win as he went five-and-a-third innings.

Epp scattered seven hits, had one strike out, walked five, hit a batter and picked off a baserunner.

"My location was a little bit off but I had to find it at some key moments," said Epp. "Overall I did the best I could – maybe it wasn't the best I could do for the team but I felt pretty good."

As for pitching in a must-win situation with the team's playoff run on the line just five days after he was one out away from going the distance in Carillon's 4-3 victory over Winnipeg South in their final round robin game at the Provincial Midget “AAA” Championship at Charleswood Park which put the Sultans into the semifinals.

"I just tell myself it's like any other game," answered Epp. "Just got to go out there, do your best and see what happens."

Zac Giesbrecht got the final five outs.

The Sultans will face the Elmwood Giants in the MJBL semifinals.

Game one in the best-of-five goes Monday at Koskie Field in Winnipeg with game two scheduled for the following night in Steinbach.

The defending champion Altona Bisons and the Winnipeg South Chiefs will meet in the other semi.