Senior Dan Vogelbach’s 17 home runs on the season weighed heavily on the outcome of the Class 3A state baseball championship game Thursday night in Port St. Lucie.

With two out in the bottom of the seventh inning and the bases empty, Vogelbach was intentionally walked. That decision sparked a rally in which Vogelbach scampered home from second base to lift the Vikings to a 4-3 victory over Pensacola Catholic.

The victory gives the Vikings their second state baseball championship in three tries. They last won a title, in Class 2A, in 1994.

After Vogelbach walked, Nick Rivera singled off pitcher Cody Alling, who could not retrieve the carom in time to make a play at first or second. Hudson Boyd, who pitched a complete-game two-hitter Wednesday to get the Vikings to the championship game, singled off the third baseman’s glove. The ball wound up in shallow left field and Vogelbach slid across home plate with the winning run.

The Vikings (28-4) never had the lead in the game until the final play. Pensacola Catholic (27-5) scored an unearned run in the second inning to lead 1-0, but Verot answered on Evan Dougherty’s RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

The Crusaders took a 3-1 lead in the third on a two-run single up the middle with one out by Tanner Halstead. Again the Vikings answered with two in the bottom of the inning to tie it at 3-3.

Josh Garcia (2-for-4) reached on a throwing error and Thomas Dougherty singled to center. With the bases loaded, Garcia scored on a passed ball and Rivera tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right.

Verot starting pitcher D.J. Schleicher settled down to hold the Crusaders scoreless until loading the bases with two out in the sixth inning. Senior Keith Ryan relieved and slammed the door on an infield pop fly.

The Vikings had a chance in the bottom of the sixth when Frank Romano doubled to left with two out, but was left stranded. The Vikings left a total of eight runners on base compared to five the the Crusaders.

The Crusaders sent Alling to the hill for the seventh inning in relief of starter Michael Yarborough. Alling coaxed Garcia to ground out and Thomas Dougherty to fly out to open the inning and bring Vogelbach to the plate to start the fateful rally.

Pensacola Catholic012 000 0 – 3 6 1

Bishop Verot012 000 1 – 4 8 3

W – Ryan. L – Alling.

2B – Haefeli (BV), Garcia (BV), Romano (BV). LOB – Catholic 5, Verot 8.