NORMAL — The South Central Cougars scored three runs in the fifth inning and held on to defeat Father McGivney 4-2 to win the 1A State Baseball Championship in an all 618 final played at Duffy Bass Field on the campus of Illinois State University.

It’s South Central’s first state championship, capping a season that saw head coach Curt Jones pick up win number 800 as well as the program’s 1000th victory.

The Cougars led 1-0 until the Griffins tied it in the top of the fifth with an RBI single from Nathan Terhaar to score Jackson Rodgers. South Central starting pitcher Spencer Johannes limited further damage by striking out Austin Callovini with two on to end the threat.

The Cougars quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Following a leadoff bunt single with two strikes by Brandt Hiestand, Chase Thompson put South Central back on top with a double down the left field line that scored Hiestand. The Cougars added two more for a 4-1 lead.

After a quiet sixth, Johannes ran into trouble in the seventh, as the Griffins loaded the bases with nobody out. South Central head coach Curt Jones went to his ace, Chase Dodson, who had picked up the win earlier in the afternoon in the semifinals, and only had 20 pitches left on his pitch limit.

Dodson got a ground ball up the middle off the bat of Matthew Gierer that Aidan Dodson turned into a double play. A run scored to make it 4-2. Then, after a walk put the tying run on first, Gabe Smith grounded out to Thompson, who ranged to his right to backhand then flipped to Aidan Dodson covering to end it.

Johannes struck out nine in six plus innings of work for the win for the Cougars, who finish the season 26-3.

Father McGivney finishes 31-7 and state runner up in just the school’s second year of competition.