Claiming a title in the boys 7-8 baseball league was going to take doing something no group had done all season: survive six grueling innings without a time limit and outlast their opponent. 3 Rusty Nails was the last team standing Friday, edging Triple C Nursery 16-15 in an instant classic.

Maddux Underhill came up with the walk-off hit, ripping a single that allowed Brayden Russel to round third and score, completing a comeback after 3 Rusty Nails trailed by as many as seven earlier in the game. The whole team was almost too exhausted to celebrate after Underhill's heroics, but there were smiles all around once the team completed an improbable run to the title.

Neither team came into the postseason as favorites, but they were the groups playing the best once the single-elimination tournament started. Triple C Nursery won its way into the title game just before it started, continuing a Cinderella run after finishing fifth in the regular season.

For a while, it looked like the group would ride the wave of momentum all the way to the title. Triple C Nursery led 15-8 after hitting in the fifth, with Jeb Culwell adding plenty of excitement in the batter's box late.

Culwell came through with a two-out, three-run homer in the fifth, getting a little help from one errant throw after he looped a long ball into right field. Once 3 Rusty Nails wasn't able to corral the ball and tag Culwell at second, he never slowed down and put his team up by eight late.

3 Rusty Nails wouldn't quit though. Three straight singles by Russel, Underhill and Kingston Williams gave Weston Walker a chance to do major damage in the fifth and he didn't hesitate. Just a pitch after he nearly missed extra bases on a liner that went just foul down the left-field line, Walker cranked a shot deep to center that split two outfielders. 

Walker cleared the bases with his chain-rattling triple to the fence, then scored on a double from Marcus Martin. 

With their lead down to 15-12, Culwell kept Triple C Nursery in front with a web gem. He made a ranging play at shortstop, catching a low liner a step into the grass that looked destined to be an extra-base hit. 3 Rusty Nails was so sure it was going into the grass, runners took off and Culwell was able to complete an unassisted double play to keep any more runs from scoring.

When the final out of the fifth was recorded, Triple C Nursery thought it had claimed the championship, but the league rules for the title game called for six innings. The one extra frame was all 3 Rusty Nails needed to make up the rest of the deficit and soar to a championship.

Triple C Nursery went down in order in the top of the sixth, then couldn't stop 3 Rusty Nails from rolling at the plate once the top of the lineup came back around. Beau Creedmore kicked things off with an infield single, beating the ball to first by just a step. Colt Bratcher followed with an RBI double, then Abel Hobbs singled to put the tying runs on board for Russel.

He tied the game with one swing, sending a hot shot into the grass as both his teammates circled to score and he cruised into scoring position as the potential game winner. Russel wasn't going to be denied once Underhill connected on the next pitch, never stopping after he saw the ball get through the infield and crossing the plate without a throw to win the game.

Elijah Williams also played a big part in the win for 3 Rusty Nails, connecting on an inside-the-park HR in the fourth. 

Trezdyn Mathis showed out for Triple C Nursery in the tough loss, hitting inside-the-park HRs in his first two at-bats and racking up four RBIs. Rhett Alexander and Culwell finished 4-for-4 for their squad, while Baylor Morris and Hudson Dunn had two hits each.