James Gill III hits a walk-off, two-run home run to lift Battle Ground to 6-5 win over Union for 4A GSHL baseball title

After a season that has included walk after walk after walk, James Gill III finally got a chance to swing the bat in a big moment.

And the Battle Ground senior did not miss.

Gill belted a two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Tigers to a 6-5 win over Union on Thursday, sending Battle Ground to its first 4A Greater St. Helens League baseball championships since 2017.

"No, I have not," Gill said when asked if he's ever experienced a moment like that in his years playing baseball. "It's something very unreal. I'm still processing it. It's something very exciting."

It was a part of an unreal week for the Tigers, starting with a 6-1 loss to Union on Monday. That was followed by an epic 13-inning win over Union on Tuesday to keep the Tigers' league title hopes alive.

Then came Thursday, when Battle Ground fell behind 5-1 in the top of the fifth inning.

But the Tigers fought back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, including an RBI single from Gill, to get within 5-4.

In the bottom of the seventh, Collin McGowan delivered a one-out single.

The left-handed Gill came up facing a tough lefty in Union's Mason Korhonen.

Gill fouled off a fastball, then launched an off-speed pitch over the right-field fence, setting the Tigers off in celebration.

"I could see it right out of his hand," Gill said. "I could tell he was about to throw a curveball. (His arm) was coming right over after throwing the fastball."

Did he think it hit it far enough?

"Oh yeah!" Gill said. "I knew it was gone."

It's the kind of play coach Seth Johnson has seen before from Gill, a two-time 4A GSHL player of the year.

"Two-time player of the year, and that probably just solidified (No. 3) right there," Johnson said. "Without that, it's debatable between five or six players. Union's got a couple of guys. We've got a couple of guys. But a walk-off home run for a league championship, I don't think you can match that."

And it came in season in which opposing teams chose not to face Gill. He has drawn 27 walks this season.

"That's like two a game," Johnson said. "It's really hard to hit in those situations. It's hard to get into a rhythm. He's been pressing, so hopefully maybe that can open up the floodgates for James."

While Gill was the late-game hero, the performance of McGowan was equally impressive.

After going through a lot of arms in Tuesday's 13-inning game, Johnson was ready to lean heavily on his sophomore. McGowan responded by pitching all seven innings, even after getting four runs in the fourth.

"He's a Division I arm," Johnson said. "He's a Division I arm now. He throws multiple pitches for a strike. He throws hard. He's got good offspeed pitches. He competes. ... So we knew when we got to the point to where we needed to bump him up (in innings pitched), we were going to bump him up, let him extend."

McGowan said: "I was just competing out there, trusting my defense behind me. I've got a really good defense. Just throw a lot of strikes and see what happens. I trust my stuff."

After the game, when his teammates went off to celebrate with their parents, McGowan remained seated on the turf, guzzling down water.

"I caught 13 innings on Tuesday," said McGowan, who is the Tigers starting catcher when not on the mound. "So my legs were pretty tired."

But his legs felt pretty light as he rounded the bases on Gill's home run, capping a wild win after a wild week.

Thursday's win was something new for everyone.

"But man, what an inning; holy cow," Johnson said of the bottom of the seventh. "Haven't been a part of that, at all, ever. A meaningful game with a walk-off home run? I haven't been part of that my whole career."

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 7:09 AM.