WINNSBORO, La. &045; There were two outs in the final inning and Huntington’s Chad Thomas had two strikes on him. And this game would decide the district championship.

&uot;That wasn’t what I had planned,&uot; Thomas said.

But Thomas hit a blooper to shallow right field that bounced in and out of the glove Franklin Academy second baseman Justin Robinson. When Robinson’s throw home sailed wide, Huntington’s Richard Steele and Jacob Bonnette came in, putting the Hounds up 3-2, their first lead of the game.

&uot;I knew I had to put the ball in play,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;I didn’t even see what happened &045; I was just running.&uot;

Huntington pitcher Trey Brasher finished off a complete game in the seventh to give the Hounds (9-1, 16-5) a 3-2 victory over the Cougars (8-2, 16-6) and securing a district championship for his team.

Brasher, an eighth-grader, pitched a gem for the Hounds, allowing no earned runs and striking out nine batters to get the win.

&uot;They had some scattered hits, but Brasher has always been able to scatter a few hits and still get things done,&uot; Huntington heads coach Mitch Ashmore said. &uot;For an eighth-grader, he’s done an amazing job for us.&uot;

Huntington’s victory hinged on the smallest of turns. The Hounds came into the seventh trailing 2-1 and things didn’t start off well. Austin Butler and Mike Ferguson both struck out.

But Steele hit a single up the middle, and Jacob Bonnette walked in front of Thomas to set up the game-winning play.

Up to that point, the Hounds had been kept in check by Franklin pitcher Myles Stevens.

&uot;Give their pitcher credit,&uot; Ashmore said. &uot;He only throws two pitches, but he moved the ball around and kept us off balance. We’re not one of those great-hitting ball clubs. We’re the type of team that’s going to have to take advantage of errors, steal some bases and play smart. He had us for a long time, but I knew if we could get a runner things might happen.&uot;

Franklin head coach Ryan Ellington said his team didn’t execute when it needed to.

Ashmore said it’s been a stressful last few games for his team, which had to survive tough games last week just to set up Friday night’s matchup for the district championship. The Hounds had an edge by needing only a win after Franklin Academy lost to River Oaks last week.

&uot;That’s the third game in a row I’ve had to deal with a one-run game,&uot; Ashmore said. &uot;We had to sweat another one out, but these kids have responded in the late innings. They’re bringing our program back to what it was in the ’90s, when we won a lot of district championships.&uot;

Franklin opened the scoring in the second inning when Devin Evans reached base on an infield hit and moved to third on Stevens’ single. Evans scored when Jake Wright hit a ground ball to Brasher. Brasher came home with the ball, but catcher Ples Arthur couldn’t catch it and Evans scored.

Huntington couldn’t get anything going at the plate until the fifth inning, when Mike Ferguson slapped a solo home run to right field to put the Hounds on the board and close Franklin’s advantage to one run.

&uot;I’m not sure about it, but I think that might be the first home run Mike’s hit for us,&uot; Ashmore said. &uot;It’s by far the longest one. He’s done well for us, and that’s what you want seniors to do. That got us back within one run, and that’s a little easier to deal with. You can do more things when you only have to score one.&uot;

Stevens also contributed what could have been the most valuable and hard-won out of the evening. On a short foul pop-up by Huntington’s Huston Eliser in the sixth, he collided with catcher Wright but still held on for the out to get the Cougars out of the inning without allowing a run.

Ferguson’s home run was the only earned run of the game.

&uot;It was about taking advantage of mistakes, no doubt,&uot; Ellington said. &uot;They didn’t quit, even in the seventh. We didn’t execute when we had men on second and third, and it cost us.&uot;

Both teams will be in the playoffs next week, with Huntington hosting a game while the Cougars will be on the road.

&uot;Hopefully they’ll take care of business on their side, and we’ll take care on our side and we can see them again in the south state championship,&uot; Ellington said.