Warren County North manager Kris Young admits to being nervous for most of Tuesday’s 11-and 12-year-old District 1 Little League championship game against Owensboro Southern at Phil Moore Park.

But down to the last three outs, trailing by two runs, Young said he felt at peace – confident his team had one more rally left in it.

His thoughts proved to be correct as the North roared back with a two-out, walk-off grand slam from Wyatt Nesbitt to give Warren County a 7-5, seven-inning victory.

“We play a lot of baseball and I see these boys do crazy stuff,” Young said. “That didn’t surprise me. They have a lot of fight about them.”

For Nesbitt, who cleared the right-center field wall on an 0-1 pitch, it was a moment he said he will always remember – even though it was a bit of a blur when it happened.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, it might be out,’ ” Nesbitt said. “It felt awesome. I can’t even talk about it.”

Nesbitt’s blast capped a back-and-forth night that saw Owensboro Southern rally to force extra innings and take command in the top of the seventh, only to have Warren County prevail.

Warren County took a 2-0 lead in the first on RBI singles by Camden Elkins and Nesbitt, but Owensboro Southern answered with two in the top of the second to tie the score at 2.

Tanner Goad scored in the bottom of the second on a wild pitch third strike as North regained the advantage. It would remain 3-2 until the fifth, when Easton Blanford’s RBI single tied the score.

North worked out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the sixth, but Southern was able to take its first lead of the night in the seventh with two runs – including a homer from Sam Holder.

Warren County answered in the bottom of the inning.

Tucker Stringfield reached on a leadoff infield single, ending a string of nine straight batters retired by Owensboro Southern pitching. A walk to Ayden Barrick put two runners on and two batters later Maddox Tarrence walked to load the bases with one out.

Elkins struck out putting North down to its final out, but Nesbitt made sure Warren County would advance to the state tournament later this month in Lebanon with his opposite-field grand slam.

Kris Young said he wasn’t sure the ball was out at first, only thinking about making sure the runner scored from second, until he saw a fan throw his hands up in the air.

Drake Young said it took a minute for the bench to realize what had happened.

“I’m thinking, ‘What just happened,’ ” Young said. “That is probably the way we wanted to end it – squaring one up.”

The win gives Warren County North its first district championship as 11-and-12 year olds. Kris Young said he couldn’t think of a better group to make history and survive a district that has traditionally been one of the toughest in the state.

“This district is amazing,” Young said. “16 out of the last 19 years the state champion has come out of this district. It’s tough. I’ve been coaching a long time. I have one other district championship, where I helped coach a team, and it is a gauntlet.

“Tonight in the crowd, there were guys that I played with that all had the same dream I did, the same (as) these boys had, and they made it happen.”

Warren County North will open pool play in the state tournament in Lebanon on July 21.

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