DEARBORN, Mo. — Plattsburg’s Korbin Hicks sat front and center, watching Bishop LeBlond’s freight train offense steamroll its first two district games by a combined 38 runs.

He tempered his team’s chances of beating the Golden Eagles accordingly.

“We knew if we could hold them under 10 runs, we had a chance to win,” Hicks said.

The Tigers did a little better Wednesday, when Hicks finished off a brilliant pitching performance at North Platte High School. He and junior Taylor Davis combined for a four-hit showing in a 4-1 win in the Class 2 District 16 championship.

It was LeBlond’s lowest scoring output since a 3-0 loss to St. Pius X on April 9.

“We’ve been hitting the ball so well all year and picking up runners in scoring position,” LeBlond coach Greg Kastner said. “Tonight, we just didn’t get it done.”

Plattsburg (15-7) came in on the most torrid of hot streaks and earned wins in 11 of its previous 12 games — a setback against Lawson the only blemish. But a buzz-saw LeBlond (14-10) squad averaging more than 10 runs per game on the season looked to be playing its best ball yet.

Davis drew the start and was eager to erase the Tigers’ 16-0 loss to LeBlond earlier in the season. His effective arsenal of fastballs, change-ups and knuckleballs kept the Golden Eagles off balance for five full innings.

With runners on first and second, he induced Jeremy Banks into a first-pitch foul out to preserve a 2-1 lead.

“We talked about worked a lot of off-speed stuff, getting them off balance a little bit,” Plattsburg coach Jason Boldt said. “Both of our guys did that real well.”

Opposing pitcher Andrew Nellestein looked nearly as sharp.

After allowing two runs through the first three innings, the powerful sophomore found his groove and did not surrender a hit in the next three innings. On the way to a complete game, he struck out nine — at least one in every inning — and got out of a bases loaded, no out jam by striking out the side.

“He’s a pitcher that can dominate a game,” Kastner said of Nellestein, who tossed two no-hitters this seson. “He’s got an attitude that he wants to strike out every batter.”

Hicks tossed a 1-2-3 sixth and gave himself a crucial cushion the next half-inning. His second double of the game rolled up the right field line, scoring Nick Norris and Davis to beef the lead up to 4-1.

One out from victory, Hicks proceeded to walk Ethan Lueckenhoff on a full count but induced Nellestein into a fly out to preserve the win.

He faced one batter more than the minimum, struck out two and drove in three of the four runs.

“With a lineup like that, you don’t want to let anybody on base in the end,” Boldt said. “But (Hicks) did a nice job getting himself some insurance before that.”

In his five innings, Davis fanned five and finished 3-for-4 at the plate in the winning effort. His baffling pitching induced the LeBlond hitters into an uncharacteristic 1-for-11 performance with runners in scoring position.

“That was very unusual for us, and that was the difference — those little things,” Kastner said.

Plattsburg advances to the state tournament for the first time since 2004 and hosts Barstow (15-1) on Monday. The second-seeded Tigers’ 15th win set a new school record, breaking the previous mark set in 2004, when they reached the state semifinals.

“We had that momentum coming in, and I think they were looking past us a little bit, too,” Hicks said. “We just got hot at the right time.”

Sports reporter Andy Meyer can be reached at andymeyer@npgco.com