In a monumental showdown between state powerhouses, senior Cole Flanagan pitched one of the best games of his career, and Sam Houston completed a sweep of archrival Barbe to earn a spot in the Non-select Division I championship series next week in Sulphur.

Flanagan followed Owen Galley’s 3-hitter on Thursday with a two-hitter on Friday to beat the Bucs 1-0.

Flanagan struck out five and walked one batter in his second complete game of the postseason and had the hit of the game. In the bottom of the third inning, Flanagan put down a perfect bunt to score Charlie Donaldson from third base.

With the game on the line in the top of the seventh and two runners on base, Flanagan struck out the final batter to send the Broncos (32-7) to the finals for the first time since 2019.

“Cole’s been our guy all year on both sides of the ball,” Sam Houston head coach Chad Hebert said. “He started down in the yard, and we moved him up.

“He kind of got his rhythm. You know, he’s back from arm surgery and he looks as good as ever.”

The Broncos’ defense backed up Flanagan with several big plays. Barbe’s J.D. Alexander led off the seventh with a hard grounder to the right side, but second baseman Carson Christ made a sliding stop and threw him out at first base. After a single by Presley Courville and Flanagan’s only walk of the game, center fielder Charlie Donaldson ran down a big fly ball by Ja’Derryian Washington for the second out. Sam Houston turned a 6-4-3 double play in the third inning.

“We’ve been really good on defense all year,” Hebert said. “As a matter of fact, it was the best fielding percentage as a team since I’ve taken over at Sam Houston.

“Big play after big play tonight, and that’s what it takes to win a championship. You’ve got to have those big plays. Charlie Donaldson was huge in the last inning, running that ball down. Carson Christ’s sliding play in the last inning, you couldn’t have scripted it any better for those kids.”

Sam Houston will play the winner out of No. 1 Live Oak and No. 5 Benton in a best-of-three series starting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The second game will be on Friday at 5:30 p.m., and the third game, if necessary, will be played at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The two wins are the Broncos’ first over the Bucs (34-6) in the postseason. Barbe beat Sam Houston in the 2019 Class 5A finals, plus an 11-inning 1-0 win in the semifinals in 2021.

“You’re not going to find a better rivalry in the nation,” Hebert said. “I don’t care what anybody says.

“It feels good to come here and do it because I have so much respect for Coach Glenn (Cecchini). You look around here, what he’s built. He’s built baseball in Southwest Louisiana. I will always give him credit for that. He gave me my start in 2006 as my first coaching job.

“And I wake up every day chasing this place, trying to build the best facilities and give our kids the best opportunity to be one of the best programs in the state. And it’s a blueprint that he set forth, man. And for me to beat that guy, one of my mentors, a person that I truly, truly look up to, is to say it means everything to me.”

In the last three weeks, Sam Houston beat last year’s Non-select Division I finalist Barbe and defending state champion West Monroe on the road. Sam Houston has won 20 of its last 21 games.

“Right now, they’ve proven that they can play in any environment, on the road, at home, wherever it is,” Hebert said. “I told them just to enjoy the moment, and then we’ll get back to work. We’ll start breaking down film and things on Sunday.”

Barbe southpaw Jairus Miller (13-1) struck out eight batters and walked two, but took his first loss of the season.