It takes Perquimans three to get its second straight North Carolina baseball state title

Defending North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1A baseball state champion Perquimans survived an outstanding three game series with Cherryville, winning the decisive third game, 6-3, Saturday evening at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs to win back-to-back state crowns.

The Pirates (31-2) won Friday’s opening game in thrilling 1-0 fashion, but Cherryville bounced back for a 6-1 win in the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon.

Cherryville (22-12) also led 1-0 in the finale, as Landon Hahn pushed the Ironmen in front with an RBI single in the top of the third. Macon Winslow tied the game for the Pirates, with an RBI single, in the home half of the third, and two more runs scored on a throwing error, as Perquimans moved in front, 3-1.

That play changed the tide of the series, which had been decidedly moving in Cherryville’s direction since early in Saturday’s first game, and put the Pirates on path for the series win.

In the Perquimans fifth it added three more runs, as Winslow led off with a double and scored on a single by starting pitcher Jakob Meads. Jackson Russell followed with another RBI single and the sixth run came in on an error.

Tanner Thach, who dominated the Ironmen in Friday’s 1-0 win, came on in the relief in the top of the fifth as Cherryville was attempting a comeback, with two on and one out. The Pirates’ ace, who will next pitch for UNC-Wilmington, did the job, getting a strikeout and a pop up to end the threat.

Thach’s younger brother Mason, a freshman, took the hill for the top sixth and got the first out of the inning, but Cherryville proceeded to load the bases. Pirates’ coach Justin Roberson then summoned Tanner Thach, who was now playing first base, back to the mound, in an attempt to quiet another threat.

Thach got out of the inning, but not before giving up an RBI single to Collin Huss and another run on a fielder’s choice grounder, as the Perquimans' lead was sliced to 6-3.

A warrior, Tanner Thach came out again in the seventh and retired the first two batters he faced before allowing an infield single to Kamron Willis and a walk to Chase Miller. At that point Roberson continued his game of musical chairs with his pitching staff, turning back to Meads, who managed to coax Tobias Miller into a fly-out to center to end the contest.

Tanner Thach was named Most Valuable Player in the series.

In Cherryville’s game two victory, Kanon Willis was sensational on the mound, tossing a three-hit complete game. Hahn was the hitting star for the Ironmen, going 3-for-4 with a triple.

Collin Robinson had an RBI double, Miller had an RBI single and Nate Bookout scored on a wild pitch in a three-run first inning that set the pace for the Ironmen. Huss added a two-run single in the third and then scored his team’s final run in the sixth inning on a single by Will Fowler.