Through an afternoon of double plays, pickoffs and outfield blunders, it all boiled down to the last out in Ira’s 3-2 Class 1A area-round win over Baird on Thursday at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field.

Karson Valentine scattered eight Baird hits through seven innings to pick up the win, striking out Nate Deel for the final out with the potential tying run — Kollin Davis — at third.

Fanning 10 and walking none, Valentine allowed no earned runs while outdueling Baird’s Jax Bellar, who allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits.

Valentine wriggled out of some late trouble with the game on the line, hitting Davis to start the seventh inning and allowing a two-out double by Ricardo Gonzalez to put two runners in scoring position.