The Brahmans pose after their thrilling win over Sebastian River in the district championship. [Photo courtesy OHS]

 OKEECHOBEE- The Okeechobee High School varsity Brahman baseball team secured a district championship with a dominating 13-3 win over the Sebastian River Sharks on April 17. 

This is the Brahmans’ first time bringing back the district championship trophy to Okeechobee since they won back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022. 

The Brahmans’ trip to the championship game started back on April 14 in the district quarterfinals. Okeechobee defeated the sixth seed Westwood Panthers 11-1 in that game. Next Okeechobee faced the second seed in the district, the Heritage Panthers, in the district semifinal. 

Heritage had been undefeated in ditrict play this year leading up to the game against Okeechobee, and they lived up to that record in the semifinal. The Brahmans jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, but the Panthers tied things back up in the fourth 1-1. 

The Brahmans responded in the fifth with another run in the top of the fifth, and this time the Panthers did more than match that, they scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. 

The Panthers stayed on top until the seventh inning, when Okeechobee scored a run to tie things back up and force the game into extra innings.  The eighth and ninth innings passed with both teams looking to put the other away. But in the tenth inning, Okeechobee finally scored another run to go up 4-3. Then the Brahman defense stood strong in the bottom of the inning to secure the upset and the team advanced to the championship round. 

The championship game against Sebastian River appeared to be headed for another nail-biting finish similar to the game against Heritage in the early innings. Okeechobee and Sebastian River were tied 3-3 as the game headed into the top of the fourth. But the Brahmans dominated the Sharks over the next three innings, scoring 10 unanswered runs and earning themselves a district championship.