SIOUX FALLS — For the second time in the past three seasons, Sioux Falls Lincoln is Class A state baseball champions.

The Patriots ended the year with a record of 18-5 against Class A opponents, and won their final 18 overall games of the season.

Lincoln’s last loss of the season came on April 22 against the same exact team it beat to win the championship, a 7-0 win over Harrisburg. 

“All year I felt like we're kind of an underdog,” Sioux Falls Lincoln head coach Jordon Johnson said. “We didn’t get a lot of credit when we started out slow, then we started picking up wins, and I don’t think people realized how good these boys really were and we got to show that this weekend.”

To open up the state championship, it was Lincoln’s Kasen Christiansen against Harrisburg’s Braxton Kusler in a pitching duel that lasted a lot shorter than expected, as Kusler exited the game after just 2.2 innings pitched.

The strategy for the Patriots in the early going was simple. Place down bunts and make the left-handed pitcher attempt the tough throws to first.

“For us it was small-ball moving runners, and then after we got a guy on it just turned into ‘Hey, we’re going to make this big lefty come off the mound, spin and throw to first,’ ” said Johnson. “And you know with our speed, people don’t realize one of our biggest strengths this year was speed.”

Speed was key in the second inning, as Lincoln had three perfectly placed bunts end in base hits that helped the Patriots build a five-run inning.

For a pitcher, the approach in a one-run game compared to a five-run game is a huge difference. But when it’s the state championship, it can mean the world.

“It definitely helps when you have a lot of runs on the board,” said Christiansen. “They were hitting the ball, and it absolutely makes a difference.”

Christiansen threw arguably the game of his life in the biggest game of the season, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out eight batters in a seven-inning shutout.

“I was very nervous, but I just locked in,” Christiansen said. “After that first pitch, I was dialed in and just did my thing.”

Coach Johnson trusted his junior pitcher in the biggest game of the season.

“Kasen, man what a performance, comes out and just throws strikes,” said Johnson. “His offspeed was there, his fastball was there, and he just kept them off-balanced. You could argue that was the best hitting team in the state and he did such a great job.”

Lincoln continued to build the lead further, adding two more runs in the fourth inning before locking things down defensively in the final four innings.

After recording the final out in the state championship, Christiansen was at a loss for words.

“It’s definitely speechless, it’s what we worked toward all season, and just very emotional,” Christianson said.

It’s Lincoln’s second championship in the last three seasons, but coach Johnson credits the players and the trust between them in this recent success.

“A lot of credit goes to these seniors, this is a great group on and off the field. And they play well together,” Johnson said. “We didn’t have the flamethrower pitchers who throw 90 like all these other teams, but boy we have great defense, we got kids who grind at-bats, and we just trust each other.”

Among those seniors is right fielder Kooper Perry, who earned the tournament MVP award for his performance at the plate. Perry batted 5-for-9 with two walks, while driving in 11 runs across three state tournament games.

“I taught Kooper in fourth grade, so it’s come full circle to see him in high school,” said Johnson. “Kooper was on the team last year, he didn’t play a ton. His senior year came and I didn’t start him right away. But he kind of earned his stripes and he just battled.”

It wasn’t just Perry that battled at the plate, all nine batters contributed in the championship, with seven adding hits and two others that drove in runs.

Ryan Hirsch, Sawyer Tolk, and Sawyer Mindt paced the Patriots offense with two hits each. Brycen Mitchell went 1-for-4 with an RBI, Brayden Olson batted 1-for-2 with two walks, Perry drove in three runs on one hit and one walk, and Chase DuBois collected one hit, one walk, and one RBI in the title game as well.

For Harrisburg, Kusler took the loss suffering eight hits, three walks, and five runs in nearly three innings pitched

Palmer Boyd collected the Tigers' only hit of the game.

Despite the state championship victory, it’s a bittersweet moment for coach Johnson.

“It’s great winning a championship, but I’m going to miss these seniors,” Johnson said. “It made my job easy to show up to work and to practice, they are such a tight group. It’s bittersweet, but I’m so proud of them. What a way to go out, and what a legacy to leave.”