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RALEIGH -- With nine in the lineup and 11 on the roster, this baseball season was always about the McMichael seniors. So naturally the ball was in their possession when the year came to a euphoric close Saturday afternoon at N.C. State's Doak Field.

First baseman Kenlon Knight dove to glove the final groundout before leaping into the arms of fellow senior Joseph Hughes, and the pig pile that ensued marked the school's first baseball state championship after a 6-3 win against Morganton's Patton High to close out the 2-A title series in two games.

"We knew that we had a chance to be a great team, and it just started coming together toward the end," said Hughes, who won Friday's first game on the mound and closed out the win Saturday.

"Everyone started hitting at the right time. Everybody started throwing well. It just came together perfect for us."

The Fighting Phoenix had to work a little harder than Friday's first game, when they rolled to a 16-6 win.

Patton scored an unearned run in the first and went up 3-1 in the second with a two-run homer from Reggie Washington.

The Panthers' lefty starter Nick Newton rolled through the first four innings thanks in part to three ground-ball double plays and a tag play at home, but the Phoenix finally got to him in the top of the fifth.

"I think he got a little tired late in the game, and that's what we do, just try to wear people down," senior shortstop Craig Erskine said. "Have long at-bats, get the pitch count high and then take advantage of it when you can."

With one out, three consecutive hits produced two runs. The last of those was a game-tying RBI double by centerfielder Ethan Satterfield, who picked up MVP honors in the championship series by going 5 for 8 with a double, a triple, a homer and two RBIs.

Then with two outs and two on, the imposing Hughes shattered the tie by crushing a majestic, sky-high fly ball to left-center that kept on drifting until it disappeared over the extended-height fence near the 370-foot mark for a three-run homer to make it 6-3.

"You know when Hughes hits one out," Erskine said. "When it's like that, when he has a smile on his face, it's gone."

That ended the scoring in the inning, but the Patton momentum was toast. Hughes relieved steady starter Steven Trant in the sixth and took care of the final five outs, which included an ugly collision between Washington and Erskine at second base on a double play attempt. Erskine was able to walk away, but Washington (the runner) was carted off the field and taken to the hospital.

The win was also enjoyed by former Phoenix coach John Hall, who stepped down last year but has been in the dugout with McMichael since the conference tournament.

"It was great to let him experience &ellipses; what he did for us," Erskine said. "He got us where we are -- a combination of coach (Mike) Dalton and coach Hall definitely got us this one."

Contact Jesse Baumgartner at 373-7091 or jesse.baumgartner@new-record.com

W: Steven Trant (6-3). L: Nick Newton (10-3). S: Joseph Hughes.

Records: McMichael 27-6; Patton 27-9.