Bunn grinds out G1 win over Burns in the 4A baseball championship

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — Another state playoff game, another grind-it-out win for the Bunn Wildcats. This time, it came on the grander stage, in the first game of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A state championship series in Holly Springs on Wednesday.

The Wildcats plated a go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning to stave off Burns by a 3-2 score. Bunn needs one win on Thursday at Holly Springs’ North Main Athletic Complex for the program’s second state title, and its first since 1979.

“The guys just battled back. That has kind of just been the theme of the year. We never panicked,” Bunn coach Patrick Warren said. “This is a great opponent we have. Both teams are here for a reason.”

The slim run support was all junior pitcher Dylan Mitchell needed to earn the win in his four innings of relief on the mound.

“I wanted to attack and make my defense work,” Mitchell said. “Run support is big when you are pitching in games like this. It felt good to have that cushion.”

Mitchell struck out five in his three innings of relief.

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West champion Burns (25-4) took the initial lead in the top of the first. Lathan Peeler pounded his fist in the sky running to first base when his bases-loaded single found the left-field grass to put the Bulldogs up 2-0. The lead was short-lived.

Bunn (25-3), the East regional champion, needed seven pitches to knot the score at 2-all. Caleb Johnson, a Mount Olive recruit, drove home a run in the bottom of the first inning, and a second run scored on a throwing error by Burns.

• View Photos: Bunn vs. Burns, Game 1 (May 27, 2026). HSOT Insiders can download championship photos for free. Here's how.

Johnson showed his athleticism with a diving grab in center field to keep Burns from taking the lead in the top of the third inning.

“I trust myself and I know my speed. I know that any ball in the outfield is not falling if I’m out there,” Johnson said.

On top of flashing the leather, Johnson finished with two hits and the two RBIs.

“To play a great team like Burns is awesome, and to be able to play in this atmosphere and stay composed in an atmosphere we’ve never played before, we acted like we’ve been here,” Johnson said. “As seniors, leading the team in the state championship is the ultimate goal. That’s our plan, to keep playing hard.”

But Warren said the leadership from Johnson hasn’t been reserved just for this final season. The two-time conference player of the year nearly came to campus as a freshman ready to lead the Wildcats.

“It’s never a shocker. He’s been doing this since his freshman year. He was an unofficial team captain by the time he was a sophomore,” Warren said.

Bunn took a 3-2 lead when Jackson Alford scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.

“You don’t know what to lean on if you’ve never been, so you kind of treat it like another game, but in the back of your mind, all of us know it’s not just another game,” Warren said. “There were plenty of mistakes out there for us, but they battled and keeping that positive energy going was key.”

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The teams return to the turf in Holly Springs Thursday at 11 a.m.

“Don’t be satisfied. Just keep coming out here and attacking. We’re 0-0 right now,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t win. Not yet. The job’s not finished.”

The sportsmanship award winners were recognized, with Burns senior Ethan Robinson and Bunn’s Alford honored on the field pregame.

Box Score

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