LINCOLN- The Bellevue West Thunderbirds did something for the first time all season Wednesday afternoon—lose two straight games.

Coming into the fourth round of the Nebraska Class A baseball tournament, two-seeded Bellevue West was booted from the winners bracket by the defending state champs, five-seed Millard West.

The Thunderbirds runs had been at a premium through the first three games at Haymarket park, just four runs in the first three rounds. In the fourth round against overall Class A one-seed Millard South, the Thunderbirds knew it was a "win or go home" style of baseball game.

Up until the bottom of the third inning, Bellevue West senior pitcher Gage Allen had been in a pitching battle against Millard South's junior Nate Moquin.

The two had made it through 3 and a half innings allowing one base runner combined, but in the bottom of the third Millard South's leadoff batter, senior TJ Urban, slapped a shot to center field and reached second base with no outs. A few batters later, Urban was sent home by fellow senior Christian Hobbs who replicated Urban's double to center field. 

The bottom of the third was trouble for Allen on the mound with another RBI double coming from senior Matt Guthmiller, making it 2-0 Millard South headed into the fourth inning.

The Thunderbirds were quick to respond though, as they gathered the team together and scored a run on a wild pitch from Moquin. Bellevue West wasn't done yet. On the next pitch from Moquin, another ball flew to the back stop and another run for the Thunderbirds crossed home plate. Bellevue West scored one more run in  the top of the fourth to take the lead 3-2.

Two more runs for the Thunderbirds in the top of the fifth inning gave Bellevue West full confidence as the game progressed into the final two innings of play.

The sixth inning was a reality check for the Thunderbirds. Millard South managed to get the two leadoff batters on base via walks, and after a pitching change another runner reached.

With the bases loaded for Millard South, Bellevue West's game plan shifted to keeping the lead at whatever cost. 

A fiedler's choice followed by a Patriots RBI ground out, put the game back in reach for Millard South, 5-4.

In the final inning, senior Daniel Lester took over on the mound for the Thunderbirds and needed three outs to secure a trip to the Class A state championship where Millard West awaited the winner. That trip seemed further and further away from Bellevue West after the first two batters reached base with walks.

After a steal from Millard South, the tieing run was now on third base, with the go-ahead run on second. On a short-hopper back to the mound, Lester gloved and threw it to third base. The throw was narrowly over the head of newly-subbed-in Allen and result in not one, but two runs for Millard South and would be the walk-off run needed for the Patriots to punch their ticket to state.

The Thunderbirds fall shy of reaching the Class A state championship, but 29-7 record for Bellevue West is a significant improvement from last season's (2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19) 12-14 record.