YAKIMA — Three guys played key roles in Cashmere’s state 1A baseball championship victory Saturday: Luke Dilly the hitter, Luke Dilly the pitcher, and Luke Dilly the baserunner.

Dilly was actually just one of several Bulldogs players who made invaluable contributions as Cashmere beat Chimacum 5-4 on Saturday for their first-ever state baseball championship, but none of the others hurt the Cowboys in as many ways as Dilly.

Dilly the hitter slugged a solo home run leading off the fourth inning, then smashed a double off the wall to start the game-winning rally in the bottom of the seventh.

And Dilly the winning pitcher retired the first six batters he faced in relief, then stranded the go-ahead run at third base after the Cowboys rallied to tie it in the top of the seventh.

But it was Dilly the baserunner who ultimately swung things in Cashmere’s favor.

After his one-out double in the seventh, Chimacum walked Cooper Elliott intentionally to bring up Nick Tarver. Tarver, who had singled in the second inning but struck out in his last at bat in the fifth, lined a single to center field, Cashmere coach Jeff Carlson waved Dilly around third, and Dilly scampered home to spark the Bulldogs’ victory celebration.

“Nick really came through in the clutch,” Cashmere senior Spencer Lee said. “It was just awesome. It’s amazing. Words can’t even explain.”

That celebration seemed a foregone conclusion heading into the top of the seventh inning, but was in serious doubt by the time Cashmere came back into its dugout in the middle of the inning. Dilly, who had come on in relief to start the fifth inning, had sent the Cowboys down in order in the fifth and six, and took a two-run lead to the mound with him in the seventh.

But Chimacum scored a pair of unearned runs in the inning, and got the potential go-ahead run as far as third base before Dilly induced a groundout to end the threat.

The seventh-inning drama was made possible thanks in large part to a strong start by Bulldogs starter Trenton Johnson.

“I was just so pleased with Trenton,” Carlson said. “He did exactly what we asked.

“He’s just so poised for a sophomore. He went out there and gave us four outstanding innings.”

That workload was exactly what the sophomore and his coach had talked about before the game.

“He just told me to go out and give us three or four innings,” Johnson said. “Just throw strikes and make them hit the ball.”

The Cowboys opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning, but that lead didn’t last long.

Cashmere got one back in the bottom of the inning when Dilly slugged a leadoff home run, and moved in front with a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Alex Chipman tripled to right field and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, and Tyler McNair walked and scored on Spencer Lee’s double to make it 3-2.

Pinch hitter Jake Dilly singled leading off the sixth, Kyle Weiler re-entered and promptly stole second, then scored from there on a two-out single by senior Jacob Andruss.

“It was just an outstanding finish to an outstanding season,” Carlson said. “It makes me so proud to be wearing the same uniform that they’re wearing.”

Corey Voegele; 661-5223

cvoegele@wenatcheeworld.com