A few days after the dramatic win over Blake High School, Jacob Corvin reflected on the game.

“We were frustrated for most of the night,” Corvin said. “We had chances, but nothing was falling. Honestly, by the ninth, I was just trying to get on base any way I could.”

With the game tied in the ninth inning, Corvin led off with a single. It wasn’t a game-winning hit, but it gave the team a chance.

“I wasn’t even thinking about anything else after that,” Corvin said. “I just ran hard and got to first. I knew the guys behind me would take it from there.”

Dylan Hand, who had been watching the pitcher closely, knew the key was to stay calm.

“I wasn’t trying to do anything fancy,” Hand said. “I just wanted to make sure I put the ball in play and moved Jacob into scoring position.”

Hand’s single did just that, advancing Corvin to third.

“Once I made contact and saw Jacob make it to third, I knew it was possible,” Hand said.

Dane Mobley stepped to the plate with the game on the line. He knew the pitcher’s fastball was coming.

“I knew I had to be ready for the fastball. He’d been throwing it a lot, so I figured that was coming,” Mobley said.

Mobley got the pitch he wanted, driving it deep into right-center. Corvin scored, and Hand wasn’t far behind.

“When I saw Dylan cross home plate, that’s when it hit me. We had done it. We weren’t giving up,” Mobley said.

Looking back, Corvin, Hand, and Mobley agreed on one thing: it wasn’t the dramatic hits that made the game memorable, but the team’s composure when it mattered most.

“It’s just about sticking with it,” Hand said.

“For us, it was about doing our jobs,” Mobley said.

“We stayed focused, and that’s what made the difference,” Corvin said.

In the end, it was their ability to stay calm and execute that secured the win.