UPDATE: See Valle Catholic vanquishes New Bloomfield in Class 2 title game for the complete game story, which also appears in Friday's editions of the News Tribune and Fulton Sun newspapers.
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O'FALLON, Mo. -- Andrew Basler threw a complete-game, three-hitter for Valle Catholic as the Warriors repeated as Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 2 baseball champions with a 7-1 win over the New Bloomfield Wildcats on Thursday night.
The Wildcats - winners of 17 of their previous 20 - were seeking a state-record 8th baseball title.
To get to the championship, New Bloomfield's bats pummeled the Norwood Pirates into submission on the way to a 15-2, five-inning rampage in the Class 2 semifinals Wednesday night at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.
Valle Catholic advanced to the title contest behind an 11-1, six-inning drubbing of the West Platte Blue Jays in Wednesday's other semifinal.
Thursday's game, originally slated to start at 1:30 p.m., was delayed until 6 p.m. because of rainy weather.