WICHITA — In all three games St. Thomas Aquinas played in a 24-hour span at the Class 5A State Baseball Tournament, the Saints trailed early. 
 
Their final rally came at a critical time of the Class 5A championship game Friday at Eck Stadium against Spring Hill. Aquinas trailed 4-3 going into the bottom of the sixth inning and got a two-run triple by sophomore Brady Stewart that helped the Saints to their first state championship since 2016 as they rallied for a 6-4 victory. 
 
“It’s a tough decision whether to bunt or swing away,” Aquinas coach Rick Sabath said about Stewart’s game-winning at-bat. “He came up huge in that moment. We knew it was going to be a really tough game. With the 10-inning game (against Goddard-Eisenhower Thursday), our energy level had to find a way to fight through that. I’m so proud of the grit and determination of our kids.” 
 
It wasn’t just Stewart’s heroic efforts in the sixth, but another sophomore rose to the occasion before Stewart’s clutch hit. James Forgy entered the game in the fourth inning and gave the Saints 3.1 innings of three-hit baseball and two game-changing strikeouts, including one to halt Spring Hill from getting back on the board with the bases loaded. 

 
“Getting both of those guys to come through at a young age with the game on the line was awesome to see,” Sabath said. 
 
Heading back to the mound with a lead in the seventh, Forgy knew he could trust his defense behind him. 
 
“I had no doubt that I was going to go out there and throw strikes,” Forgy said. “Our defense is one of a kind here. It doesn’t get much better than this.”
 
Going into his at-bat in the sixth, Stewart was 0-for-3. Once the ball hit off his bat, Stewart knew it was going to land in the gap in left-center field. 
 
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Stewart said. “It was the perfect way to the end the season.” 
 
Spring Hill (19-9) struck first with a pair of runs on a groundout by Cavin Meade and an RBI single by Raymond Krokstrom. Aquinas (23-7) tied the game with a bases-loaded walk by Benny LaBella and a sacrifice fly by Henry Goodwin.
 
The Broncos regained the lead in the second with an RBI single by Holden Miller and an RBI triple by Keaton Neal. Aquinas got one back on an RBI single by Cru Huenfeld. 
 
The Broncos got five solid innings from Jordan Miller, allowing three runs, six hits, and three strikeouts. Spring Hill elected to go to Neal for the sixth and the Saints rallied when it counted the most. 
 
Spring Hill coach Morgan Abel said the Broncos (19-9) were right there looking for their first state championship since 1994. 
 
“Our kids played their absolute tails off today,” Abel said. “Battled with an incredibly talented and well-coached St. Thomas Aquinas team. All the way to the finish, a couple of things didn’t quite bounce our way, but they competed to the finish and I’m so very, very proud of them.” 
 
Both teams picked up run-rule victories in their semifinals with Aquinas rallying to defeat Salina South, 16-6, and Spring Hill defeating Salina Central, 12-2. Abel said playing three games in 36 hours wasn’t an easy stretch.
 
“It was a lot of fun baseball,” Abel said. “This team is so special and unique and they understood from the get-go of what our goal was to do was to get to back here to Wichita and to get to day two. That’s exactly what they did and elevate our program. It’s such a fun group to be around. These guys really love the game.” 
 
Crosstown rivals, Salina Central and Salina South met in the third-place game with the Mustangs defeating the Cougars, 2-0, avenging a pair of losses from April 30. Salina Central’s run to the state tournament ended with an 11-19 record and sending coach Dee Kolzow out on a winning note after a 51-year career coaching high school baseball. Salina South finished its season with a 16-15 record.