BERNIE -- Bernie baseball coach Marcus Massey didn't lose faith in his players.
Jaden McGowan laid down a perfect bunt with one out in the seventh inning, and Nate Dillinger dashed home for the go-ahead run in the Bernie Mules' 7-6 upset of top-seeded South Pemiscot in the championship game of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 tournament at Bernie High School.
Dillinger drew a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the South Pemiscot catcher.
"The first guy, he had the squeeze sign a couple of times. He didn't get it down," Dillinger said. "Luckily, Jaden McGowan was fortunate to get the bunt down and score that last run."
The second-seeded Mules failed to get bunts down numerous times in the championship game.
"It's something we practice a lot," Massey said of bunting with a runner at third. "You've just got to hope you can come through in the moment. We missed a few, missed a few and missed a few. In my gut, I knew that if we got one down, we could score a run and that might be the difference in the game, and that's what happened."
Wyatt Barnett, who relieved starter Dillinger in the fifth inning, struck out the side in the seventh to earn the Mules to their first district championship since 2015.
The Mules (17-5) will play at either Ellington or Naylor in the first round of the state playoffs on Monday.
Bernie jumped ahead 5-0 before the Bulldogs rallied to tie the score with three runs in the fifth.
Gavin Brown, who as a freshman was the starting catcher for the 2015 district champion Mules, broke the tie with a two-out homer in the sixth inning.
"He threw a bunch of fastballs. I think it was a 1-2 count, and he hung a curveball. I just got my hands through. It felt good," Brown said.
The Bulldogs, who were the home team in the matchup, tied the score in the bottom of the sixth.
Ross Russell singled to right with one out and dashed to second on an error by the right fielder. Kevin Burton singled to right-center field, driving home Russell.
Brown, who finished 3 for 4 with three RBIs, singled with one out in the first inning, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch by Russell to give the Mules a 1-0 lead.
Landon Zoll was struck by a pitch to lead off the second inning, and Weston Zoll reached base on an error with two outs, setting the stage for a two-run double by Brown. He scored on Dillinger's double to right field with two outs.
The Mules took advantage of the second of five errors by South Pemiscot to score a run in the third inning. McGowan reached second base on an error by the center fielder and scored on Landon Zoll's single to left field.
"We came out ready to go and scored a few early," Massey said. "I think that kind of turned the tide our way. That's what you have to do against good teams."
Dillinger, a left-hander, retired seven of the first nine batters he faced until ninth-place hitter Colton McCulloch homered to center field to lead off the third inning.
Before the inning was over, Russell singled with one out and scored on Burton's base hit to right-center, cutting the Mules' lead to 5-2.
Dillinger retired the Bulldogs in order in the fourth, but things unraveled for the senior in the fifth.
Keith Guyton was struck by a pitch to open the inning. He stole second and raced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. He scored on Burton's infield single. Noah Willingham and Blake Rombilt drew walks to load the bases, and Massey replaced Dillinger with Barnett.
"I don't know what happened," Dillinger said. "I couldn't throw strikes. My curveball wasn't breaking that well. It was real hot. My hands were sweaty. It just wasn't working. Luckily, Wyatt came in and did the job."
Barnett gave up a two-run infield single to Axel Moreno to tie the score and an infield bloop single by Colton Golden before retiring McCulloch on a fly ball to center field to end the inning.
"It was definitely nerve-wracking," Brown said of the fifth inning, "especially with a couple of swinging bunts and a little blooper over the pitcher's mound. That's definitely nerve-wracking. I'm glad we pulled through."
"They are super, super quick," Massey said of the Bulldogs. "They had a couple infield hits in there. They just had the speed to beat the throw out. They got on base. They put a lot of pressure on us there. Luckily, we finally got out of that jam and got to come in and score a run."
Barnett earned the victory, surrendering one unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 2 1/3 innings. Dillinger permitted five runs (two earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Willingham was charged with the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits with one strikeout and one walk in 1 1/3 innings.