ATLANTA — For the first time in 23 years, the Lowndes Vikings are Class 7A state champions.

The Vikings (29-13) defeated the Parkview Panthers 3-2 in Game 1 Tuesday. Then, despite a lengthy rain delay in the early going, held off the Panthers 5-2 in the Game 2 clincher Wednesday afternoon.

“Obviously beating a tremendous baseball team with a lot of talent and just our kids showing up and the guts they left on the field and how they battled and competed, it’s just an awesome feeling,” Lowndes head coach Ryan Page said. “It’s even greater getting to do it with my son (Carson).”

The Vikings stormed out of the gate, scoring two runs on a Cooper Melvin double that brought Qrey Lott and Tate Sirmans in to make it 2-0 in the top of the first.

Soon after, with two outs, Noah Thigpen doubled to left to bring Melvin across for a 3-0 lead.

On the next at-bat, Carson Page smacked a fly ball to center field – good for an RBI double that scored Thigpen for a 4-0 Lowndes lead.

The early surge ended there as Parkview senior pitcher Landon Stripling got Lowndes catcher Nate Slaughter to strike out swinging to end the top half of the inning.

Parkview got right to work in the bottom of the first as right fielder Ali Banks opened with a leadoff single and Stripling was hit by a pitch to put two men on with no one out.

On the ensuing at-bat, short stop Colin Houck hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Banks to cut the deficit to 4-1.

The Panthers did not do much more damage, however, as third baseman Cade Brown walked and Garrett Lambert grounded into a double play to end the first.

Then, the rains came.

Much like their semifinal win over North Paulding, the Vikings went into the rain delay in the lead – one they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.

Lowndes first baseman Cooper Melvin (26) drives the ball to the opposite field during Game 1 of the Class 7A state championship series against Parkview Tuesday night at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Thigpen led the Vikings at the plate with a perfect 3-for-3 performance in the close-out game while Melvin went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Lott and Page each had a hit in the win.

On the mound, Caleb Thornton picked up the win after six innings of work. Thornton threw 89 pitches with 52 going for strikes. He allowed four hits and two earned runs along with three strikeouts and three walks.

For the second straight series, Thigpen came in for the save as he struck out two of the three batters he faced, including the game-sealing hook on Banks, in a pristine outing.

“The rain is what it is. There’s nothing you can do about it, and our kids know that,” Page said. “They just had a focus and a determination to go out there and just leave it all on the field and compete. When you’ve got two teams that are both very talented, it just comes down to who wants it more and I just don’t think our kids were gonna be denied. They wanted it and most of these kids, I’ve grown up coaching them and they get to talk about this for a very long time. I’m super proud that they took this opportunity and were able to complete the job.”

Two years ago, the Vikings made their first semifinal appearance since 2006 but were unable to finish the job against the Panthers, who swept them by a combined score of 24-2 in the series.

“That’s a historic program,” Page said of Parkview. “Chan (Brown)’s Parkview program is obviously one of the best in the nation. They’ve got really, really good players and we knew it was gonna be a task. We knew it was gonna be a battle. …Two years ago when we went in there for the Final Four, there was a little bit of an a-ha moment having to play at Parkview.

“The truth of the matter is if we were at Parkview today, that game’s a whole different ballgame. They hit the ball a long way, but at Truist, it doesn’t get out of there like it does at their small ballpark.”

Last year, the Vikings made it to the Elite Eight and took Game 1 of their series with Mill Creek.

Mill Creek shut out the Vikings over the next two games to win the series – handing the Vikings another setback in their quest for that elusive state championship.

This season, despite being ranked highly in the state in the preseason, the Vikings started 5-9 with a run of six straight losses.

The Vikings righted the ship – rolling through the rest of the non-region schedule, going a perfect 11-0 in region play and capping the season by winning 24 of their final 28 games.

Lowndes fans hold a sign reading, “Lowndes has 99 problems but Parkview ain’t 1.” The Vikings beat Parkview 3-2 in Game 1 Tuesday night at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Mary Ann Miller | Special to the Times

The Panthers, who had won 14 of their last 15 games heading into the championship series, finish the season 32-8.

“I’ll be honest with you, I about choked up and could hardly talk,” Page said of his address to the team after Wednesday’s triumph. “It’s just an emotional experience. These guys go to war together. They fight. They compete with one another. They’re all competitive – the guys sitting on the bench, the guys on the field.

“Everybody wants to be out there, and they went to the trenches with each other and competed and battled with each other for spots. We had to go through the adversity of losing some games early to some tough teams and had a roller coaster ride of a season. I couldn’t think of a better ending.”