FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.-Nashville has won back-to-back state championships in many other sports, including football and softball in recent memory.
It added baseball to the list on Saturday at the University of Arkansas' Baum Stadium, posting a 4-0 victory over Shiloh Christian in a rematch of last year's Class 4A title tilt.
"It's real sweet," Nashville coach Kyle Slayton said. "We just wanted to pitch well and play defense and get some timely hitting when we needed it and we did."
Tyler Hanson saved his best pitching performance for his last as a Scrapper, shutting out a potent Saints lineup while only allowing seven hits and walking only two, needing only 90 pitches.
"The last few starts my curveball hasn't been on as well," Hanson said. "I'd been throwing 20 curveballs a day during practice trying to get my release point and in the bullpen I found it. I had it all day today and that's what channeled my success."
The Scrappers (30-5) played errorless ball behind him and committed only 34 errors in 35 games.
"It was probably Tyler's best performance since spring break and we expected it," Slayton said. "This is the best defensive team I've had in 21 years of coaching, and to have those kinds of numbers in high school baseball is special."
Shiloh pitcher Landon Brown was rolling along until the fifth inning, when he walked the leadoff man before Ty Gorden doubled to deep center on a misplayed ball to give the Scrappers a 1-0
advantage.
Nashville added three more runs in the sixth for good measure. Chris Willard led off the inning with a double down the left field line, and after Tristen Jamison was hit by a pitch, Brown was removed via pitch count.
After Cason Drummond struck out looking, J.R. Middleton's infield hit moved Willard to third and he scored on a wild throw by Shiloh reliever Connor Clark. Aaron Lott then walked, and a wild pitch from Clark allowed Jamison to score.
Middleton later scored on an infield groundout where Shiloh threw the ball away trying to gun the runner down at home.
Shiloh got two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Hanson shut the door on the championship by getting Kyle LaRoche to fly out to left to end it.
"To be able to come back and win 30 games and win a state championship, it's special," Slayton said. "This was a whole new team, we had seven new starters this year. It's going to be hard to replace guys like Tyler and Chris Willard, but we've got a good nucleus coming back. These guys just expect to win. I'm proud of them, they've been consistent all year."
Nashville 000 013 0 - 4 5 0
Shiloh Christian 000 000 0 - 0 7 1
Tyler Hanson and Colton Patterson. Landon Brown, Connor Clark (6) and Kyle LaRoche. WP-Hanson. LP-Brown. HR-none.