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Photo by Todd Lester
Chelsea's Connor Ball (21) delivers a pitch during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Photo by Todd Lester
Action during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea OF Bennett Horton (25) takes a swing during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Photo by Todd Lester
Action during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Photo by Todd Lester
Chelsea OF Bennett Horton (25) collects a base on balls during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea OF Bennett Horton (25) collects an out at 1B during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea catcher Jacob Boyle takes the signals during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea SS Nolan Forehand (7) takes a swing during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea OF Jacob Tinnell (10) delivers a hit during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea OF Jacob Tinnell (10) watches the batter during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea P Connor Ball (21) delivers a pitch during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea SS Nolan Forehand (7) tags out a Cullman runner on an attempted steal during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea OF Carter Frederick (16) gets ready to swing during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea OF Jacob Tinnell (10) gets ready to hit a pitch during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Chelsea 2B Hunter Anderson (3) is called out at 3rd during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
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Photo by Todd Lester
Action during the 6A state baseball finals on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
MONTGOMERY — Connor Ball came as close as you can to tossing a no-hitter on Friday evening.
The Chelsea High School sophomore pitcher recorded 19 straight outs without allowing a hit in Game 1 of the Class 6A state baseball championship series against Cullman.
Twenty one would have sealed the deal.
But Ball surrendered a double down the left field line to Brennen Norton in the bottom of the seventh inning. That was all it took. Norton scampered across home plate to secure a 1-0 walk-off victory when Chelsea committed a fielding error in the ensuing at-bat.
The win gave the Bearcats the upper hand in a best-of-three series that only required two games. Cullman defeated Chelsea 9-4 again on Friday night to clinch the state championship at Riverwalk Stadium.
"I just couldn't be more proud of our players and the leadership of our seniors just to get us here," Chelsea head coach Michael Stallings said. "This was the first time that we had ever made it this far."
The Hornets advanced to their first state final thanks to an impressive playoff run. They swept Northridge in the opening round, wiggled past Faith Academy and Russell County in a pair of three-game series and then swept Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in the state semifinals.
That led them to a date in Montgomery with state powerhouse Cullman. The first game of the teams' championship meeting was supposed to be on Thursday night but was postponed due to lightning after one inning.
Stallings said the schedule modification helped calm his team down.
"We were very excited to get here," senior shortstop Nolan Forehand said. "At the beginning of the year, we always talk about Montgomery."
The Hornets held their own in the opening game behind Ball, a southpaw, who struck out six in 6 1/3 innings. He said he felt nervous at the outset but settled into a groove.
"All my pitches were on," Ball said, "and my defense behind me had my back."
His only blemish came on Norton's double. The next Cullman hitter, Peyton Colvard, ripped a hard chopper toward shortstop that was mishandled and allowed Norton to score.
Chelsea mustered only two hits off of Dylon Wallace, Cullman's starter in the opening game. But the Hornets had better luck with their bats in the nightcap.
Forehand gave his team a 2-1 lead in the second inning when he lofted a sacrifice fly to right field with the bases loaded. In the third inning, Will Peacock laced an RBI single up the middle to plate Bennett Horton and tie the game at 3-3. That score held until the Bearcats broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning.
Colvard, Ben Hollis and Nicholas Braswell recorded run-scoring hits for Cullman in the pivotal frame. Colvard also toed the mound for his team in Game 2 and went the distance.
He was named state tournament MVP.
"You have to tip your hat to Cullman," Stallings said. "They found a way to stop any momentum swings that we had."
The Hornets finished the season 26-15. They will graduate five seniors in Turner Griffin, Jacob Tinnell, Forehand, Peacock and Horton.
"All of our guys look toward our seniors, and they've been a really special group," Stallings said. "A lot of leadership, and they've carried us."
