McClain O'Connor of Lincoln was one of three senior Lynx pitchers who helped lead the team to the state Division III championship this year. It was the first title for Lincoln since 2006. Dave Maxwell Photo. — McClain O’Connor of Lincoln was one of three senior Lynx pitchers who helped lead the team to the state Division III championship this year. It was the first title for Lincoln since 2006. Dave Maxwell Photo.

Lincoln County won their first Division III state baseball championship since 2006 last week with a two-game comeback win over Yerington at Wooster High in Reno.

Senior pitchers McClain O’Connor, Nick Vincent and Mike Wood Jr, made sure of that.

The trio was not at all intimidated that Yerington had not lost two in a row all season and memories of an 8-1 loss to the Lions just the day before were not much there either.

The Lynx pitchers, much like the Three Musketeers, all for one and one for all, combined on a two-hitter for a 6-1 Lincoln victory in the second and deciding game.

Wood allowed just one hit and no earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. Lincoln (23-8) had topped the Lions 14-9 earlier to force the second game.

Coach Raymond Wadsworth said he was ?so happy and overjoyed for the kids. For their fight and especially their heart. They left it all on the field. Once we got rolling, I saw it in their eyes, Yerington didn?t stand a chance.?

Wood struck out seven and gave up his only hit in the first inning. He was pulled in the sixth due to the tournament innings limit. He handed the ball over to O’Connor, and he got an out before his limit expired as well.
?Those three seniors truly carried the team on their backs in the state tournament,? Wadsworth noted. ?Vincent came in and closed it out for us.?

To start the day, O?Conner was 3-for-4 with two triples, four runs and four RBIs in the first game win. ?His leadership and just his ability to get the kids to rally on and off the field. He?s been the leader all along the way,? Wadsworth said.

Wood added two RBIs for the Lynx, who grabbed a 10-6 lead after three innings.

Justin Olmstead was 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs for Yerington (29-4). It was the second year in a row the Lions had lost in the state championship game.

Just the day before, Yerington had torched Wood for eight runs and nine hits for an 8-1 win, putting the Lions in the championship and the Lynx having to pay an elimination game with Pershing County, whom they beat 12-2 in six innings.

McClain O?Connor went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, and Nick Vincent threw a four-hitter with seven strikeouts in that game for Lincoln to have another shot at Yerington.

Lincoln had started the tournament on Thursday edging Pershing County 3-2 in dramatic fashion. O?Connor cracked a two run, inside-the-park home run at Wooster High in the bottom of the fifth inning to lift the Lynx to the win.
McKinley O?Connor had led off the fifth with a walk, and big brother McClain followed with a deep drive over the center fielder?s head and back to the wall 380 feet away. And he was able to beat the throw to home plate on a close play for the go-ahead run.

McClain threw a complete game, allowing five hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts. Nick Vincent was 2-for-3 at the plate.