Watching the baseball he smacked roll to the right-center field wall, BOLD junior Jordan Sagedahl figured he would reach third base.
Getting waved home instead gave him a thrill.
So Sagedahl kept running, stumbling for just a moment rounding third base. A headfirst slide into home dirtied his white pants and red jersey on a day he was otherwise spotless against New York Mills.
Sagedahl's inside-the-park home run and shutout highlighted an 8-0 victory for BOLD in the Class 1A state championship game Thursday at Target Field.
The Warriors (20-5), who represent Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian School District, won their only other title in 2013.
About the only thing not going Sagedahl's way was losing a no-hitter when New York Mills (21-5) designated hitter Abe Carlson singled to lead off the top of the seventh and final inning.
"I was just going for a win, but it kind of hurt," Sagedahl said. "But a shutout is pretty good."
Sagedahl, who finished with nine strikeouts, used a solid fastball to master New York Mills hitters.