Text by Joe Gisondi/Interviews by Chet Piotrowski

Peyton Daugherty hit a walk-off double to drive in Cory Spour and lead Charleston to a 7-6 victory over Troy Triad on Friday afternoon for the IHSA Class 3A sectional baseball championship.

Dane Herrington had hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to temporarily put Charleston ahead 6-5 before Troy scored to tie the score and send the game into extra innings.

“Dane had a great shot out to left-center,” Spour said. “That was huge for the team.”

Charleston advances to play in Monday’s super sectional at Millikin University against Springfield, a 13-12 winner in nine innings over Chatham Glenwood.

Charleston coach Derrick Landrus said the team has been fighting back in late-innings most of the season, including a game where they rallied from a 9-1 deficit.

“That’s when it goes over the fence, you’re like, we’re moving to the next round,” Landus said. “It’s meant to be our day. They fought. Great hitters. Tied it up with two swings.”

Daugherty’s third hit of the game, a line-drive double to center field in the eighth inning, sent Cory Spour home for the fourth time with the decisive run.

Charleston’s bench piles on top of Cory Spour, after he slid into home plate, scoring the winning run in the Trojans sectional win over Troy Triad on Friday evening. (Photo/Chet Piotrowski)

Spour led off the bottom of the first inning for Charleston by drilling a home run over the centerfield fence on the first pitch to tie the score, 1-1.

Troy’s Connor Bain had led off the top of the inning with a first-pitch homer.

“Craziest thing I’ve ever seen, to be honest,” Spour said. “I’m really not thinking curve ball first pitch so I was sitting on first-pitch fastball and it just happened to be right down the zone.”

Spour had hit a home run to lead off the regional final against Highland at home a week ago.”

After Triad went ahead 5-1, Daugherty and Ty Coartney singled to drive in two runs in the fourth and narrow CHS’s deficit to 5-3.

Peyton Daugherty received a congratulatory hug after Charleston’s extra-inning victory Friday evening. (Photo/Chet Piotrowski)

Herrington later hit his second homer of the year after Cory Spour had been hit by a pitch and Kendall Pankey had walked with two outs in the sixth inning.

Ty Coartney entered in relief in the top of the seventh with the score tied at 6 to shut down a bases loaded threat by striking out a batter and inducing a fly ball to right.

Spour secured the win in the eighth inning when he struck out three batters, allowing only a two-out single.

You can check out the entire interviews with coaches and players at our INSTAGRAM page at @ColesCountySports.