MALDEN -- David Deken and Jack LeGrand received their Twin Rivers High School diplomas over a week ago despite an incomplete project.
The pair, along with two other senior teammates, were busy Tuesday evening tending to the unfinished business, and to the delight of the newly knighted Twin Rivers alums, they have more work before they can officially say goodbye to their alma mater.
The four seniors, with a big boost from their younger teammates, overcame two deficits and got a shutdown relief effort from Deken to deliver a plaque to the school trophy case with a 12-6 victory over Malden in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 2 championship.
Twin Rivers (9-7) ended a five-year title drought in advancing to the state playoffs. The Royals will face District 1 winner Portageville in a sectional Monday.
"I'm overwhelmed with emotion," LeGrand said. "We've had a lot of frustration, a lot of heartache, but each one of these guys in the dugout grinded and worked their butts off all year for something like this."
The win marks a change in culture for a senior-led group that had suffered through several losing seasons before finally breaking through this spring.
"Coming into this year I just wanted them to see what it feels like to win one," Twin Rivers coach Jared Stockton said. "Those seniors, I can't say enough about them for sticking with us after going 3-16 in our first fall together and all the way up to this point. It's like night and day, and they could've easily given up."
Added senior Dakota Kendle, "I've played with a lot of these boys for my whole life and it just feels good to win something big for once. This isn't even the end but it means everything."
After the Royals overcame their first deficit in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 2-2, Wade King swung the momentum back in Malden's favor with a three-run home run over the left-field fence. The Royals committed an error two batters later before Dee Triplett's RBI single down the first-base line put the Green Wave (13-15) up 6-2.
With no outs in the inning, Twin Rivers went from starter Zac Hardin to Deken, who got out of the inning and sat down nine of the next 10 he faced as his team clawed back.
Deken finished with 6 shutout innings in relief, giving up three hits, striking out four and walking two to pick up the win.
"It was the game of his life," said LeGrand, his battery mate. "He's just a big-game player for us and it couldn't have come at a better time."
The Green Wave didn't get another hit until the top of the sixth inning, and by that time they were trailing.
"I pitch angry, that's the way I've always done it," Deken said. "Relief is where it's at for me and if I'm not angry, I'm not hitting my spots."
Twin Rivers got its offensive spark in the bottom of the second without having to do much. Against a depleted Malden rotation, the Royals drew four straight walks, including one to senior Baylen Teague, which cut the deficit to 6-3 and chased Malden starter Ben French.
Gavin Bristow replaced him and hit LeGrand with a pitch on his first delivery to the plate another run. Bristow walked in one more before Jamie Robards tied the game with an RBI groundout.
Allen Hendrix, the only other Royal to put the ball in play in the second, hit a slow roller back to Bristow, who misplayed it, leading to two errors, which allowed LeGrand and Tanner Ledbetter to score and give Twin Rivers the lead for good.
"The only thing I'd like to see different was our pitchers throw strikes but neither of them were ready to be cast in this spot," Malden coach Tim Harmon said. "Those were my only options left, to be honest. After having to use four different pitchers in two days and with the pitching limits on my other arms, it made it tough."
Malden walked nine total and gave up nine hits in the loss.
Offensively, the Green Wave couldn't muster much more against Deken, who walked Kilgore to lead off the fourth before getting three consecutive fly outs to end the inning and Malden's last rally.
"I still thought we had a chance with it just being a two-run deficit, but the guy that they brought in kind of put the clamps on us," Harmon said. "We looked pretty out of sync."
The Royals padded their lead an inning later on Teague's sacrifice fly to score Jackson Siebert, who singled to lead off the frame. Deken helped is own cause with an RBI double to deep center field in the fifth and scored on a bases-loaded walk three batters later.
Twin Rivers pounded out three more hits in the sixth, including one from Deken, who continued his eventful day with an RBI single to set the final score.
Deken was 3 for 4 with a walk, scored three runs and stole home in the first inning. He returned to the mound in the top of the seventh, got a pair of strikeouts and a game-ending groundout as celebration ensued.
"I've never pitched and hit that well in a game, even in little league," Deken said. "This is a big game for me and I'll remember it forever."