After heartbreaking playoff exits in 2022 and 2023, the Bishop Hendricken baseball team finished the ultimate revenge tour this past weekend as it wrapped up a perfect season and state championship win over South Kingstown. It was the Hawks’ first championship since the 2019 season.

Hendricken topped the Rebels in a 4-3 walk-off win in Game 1 as Gatorade Player of the Year Griffin Crain delivered the game winning hit in the bottom of the seventh. Crain put on another big performance in Game 2, pitching a complete game and allowing just one run as the Hawks’ offense rolled late to capture the program’s 23rd championship.

SK led 1-0 in the fourth inning, but the Hawks would go on to score three runs in the inning then four more in the top of the seventh. Ryan Thompson and Braeden Campbell each drove in multiple runs to pace the offense. The team also had to come from behind in the first game to take care of business.

“We’re never out of a game, really. We just trust the guys in the lineup. We knew that one of us would get it done. It’s awesome to know that we’re never out of a game,” said Crain.

“It was a great series. They played hard the first game and we had to fight back. They had it in them today. We had to play our game today, we had to play great baseball. That’s all we could do. We put up four runs in the seventh inning and that gave us the insurance that we needed and Griffin held them,” added Campbell. “We came together (in the fourth) and said, ‘let’s put some hits together.’ We got a couple of good hits, had some hit batters. Getting guys on base wins games.”

The Hawks came up short against North Kingstown in 2022 then were upset by eventual champion Cumberland in the semifinals last spring. With a star-studded senior core, including Crain, Thompson and Jack LaRose, the entire team was hungry to send them out on top.

“We did it for our seniors. Our seniors have been wanting this for the past few seasons, we did it for them and we did it for the team. We’re a band of brothers, we’ve got a lot connections and we’ll be friends for the rest of our lives,” Campbell said.

Crain leaves behind one of the most illustrious resumes in school history, winning titles in baseball and hockey while receiving plenty of accolades along the way. He will be headed to Division I powerhouse Louisville next spring to play baseball.

Crain thanked his teammates for their support as he put on another big-time performance.

“It’s all about the team. These guys came together from the start of the year in March. We just kind of built relationships along the way,” Crain said. “It’s great to have them behind me.”