BEREA — On Monday night, the Patriots were one strike away from having their season came to an end in the semifinals of the 44th District Tournament.

They found a way to battle back from a three-run deficit, force extra innings and pick up an improbable win over Berea Community.

Less than 24 hours, the Patriots were celebrating one of the biggest victories in school history.

“Baseball is just such a funny game. The tables can turn at any second,” Model coach Alex Shapiro said. “As long as you have faith in your teammates and your coaches and you trust in that process, then you get rewarded for that.”

The reward turned out to be Model’s first-ever district baseball championship.

The Patriots trailed early, but rallied for a 7-3 win over Madison Southern on Tuesday at Berea College.

Connor Taylor picked up the complete-game victory, allowing eight hits and just one walk and senior Garrison Gray had three RBI and scored a run.

Model (17-14) and Madison Southern (15-17) will both advance to the 11th Region Tournament, which is set to get under way Monday at Madison Southern High School.

“It’s incredible. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point,” Taylor said. “We stayed together. We stayed focused through all the ups and downs and just did what we needed to do.”

Model almost never even got to the title game.

The Patriots trailed Berea Community 4-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh. They won the game an inning later on a RBI single by freshman Cruse Pingleton.

“I thought that really showed what kind of team we are,” Gray said of the win over Berea. “We just brought that over into today, that momentum.”

Southern was also coming off a big win.

After beating long-time nemesis Madison Central on Monday for the first time in 15 years, the Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Zach Moore had an RBI single and Chase Robinson added a sacrifice fly.

Model got a run back in the second when John Frazier singled and scored on an error.

The Patriots took the lead by scoring two runs in the fourth. Nate Davis and Mitchell McCown both reached and came around to score.

Southern pulled even in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Michael Atkinson.

From that point on, Taylor kept the Eagles off the board. The senior left-hander gave up two hits in the sixth, but got six of the final seven batters he faced.

“Nobody deserves this more than Connor Taylor,” Shapiro said. “Since I’ve been here, no one has been more invested in this program than Connor. He earned this moment. I’m so proud of him.”

Taylor had just one strikeout and threw only 73 pitches.

“I knew that if I stayed with my stuff and pitched to contact that everything would work out,” Taylor said. “I trust my defense. They’ve been making plays for me all year. I knew they would come through.”

And when the Patriots needed someone to come through at the plate, their lead-off hitter delivered again.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Davis singled, McCown walked and Sage Harris was hit by a pitch.

That loaded the bases for Gray.

“That’s the guy you want at the plate,” Shapiro said.

The left-hander sliced a line drive down the left-field line that cleared the bases and gave the Patriots a three-run lead.

“I was just trying to put it in play,” Gray said.

Moments later, the speedy senior gave Model a four-run lead when he scored on a delayed steal of home.

“(The pitcher) turned his back on me and it was my time to go,” Gray said.

Taylor hit a batter in the seventh, but got a flyout and two groundouts to end the game and give the Patriots a championship.

“We did the unthinkable,” Shapiro said. “No one expects us to be here. No one really wants us to be here. But, here we are as district champions for the first time ever. It’s a real special feeling.”

Robinson started for Southern and  pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, three runs (one earned) with three strikeouts and three walks.

Rex Rose pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, four runs and one walk with a strikeout. James Combs pitched the final 1 2/3 inning and did not allow a hit.

Southern had eight hits and three errors. Atkinson and Austin Adams each had two hits. Casey Brandenburg had two hits for Model.

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