Just call it a split decision.

St. Joseph was able to win a State baseball title, but Wilmot fell just short Thursday at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute.

St. Joseph pulled out a dramatic 4-2 win over Marathon in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division-3 Tournament final in the afternoon. About six hours later, Wilmot lost a heartbreaker to Bay Port 3-2 in eight innings of the Division-1 final.

This marked the first time in WIAA history and the second time overall that two Kenosha County baseball teams played for State championships on the same day. The only other time that occurred was in 1988 when Shoreland took second in Division-2 and St. Joseph was first in Division-1 in the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association Tournament in Stevens Point. In 1970, both Wilmot and St. Joseph won state championships, but the games weren’t played on the same day.

St. Joseph’s victory capped a postseason run that was literally over at one point.

The Lancers absorbed a 2-1 loss to archrival Racine St. Catherine’s in a regional final. A day later, St. Joseph’s season got a reprieve when St. Catherine’s was forced to forfeit the game after using an ineligible player.

St. Joseph then won two sectional games and a State semifinal Wednesday to reach the final.

Thursday, both teams were down to their last out before staging miraculous rallies.

St. Joseph was able to finish the job while Wilmot was not.

The 19-9 Lancers posted three unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to overtake 30-2 Marathon.

Joe Pillizzi’s two-run single gave St. Joseph the lead for good. He then took to the mound and got the final three outs to finish off his complete-game effort.

The victory handed St. Joseph its third WIAA championship in five years and seventh overall including WISAA titles.

“You just want to be known as a good program, a team that has a winning tradition,” St. Joseph coach Jon Olson said. “When you start talking ‘dynasty’ the next thing you know you’re losing. Just to have St. Joe’s known throughout the state as a good program, I think that’s the most important thing.”

Wilmot, making its seventh trip to State, trailed Bay Port until two were out in the seventh when Brendon Heyden ripped an RBI single off the pitcher’s glove with runners at second and third. The Panthers then tied the game on an error.

Unfazed, Bay Port (26-5) scored a run in the eighth denying Wilmot (24-6) its first State title since 1970. The Panthers also finished second at State in 1989.

“This was a great experience,” Wilmot coach Josh Pye said. “We had a great time up here. The hotel accommodations, the tournament directors, everybody … they did a great job this year.

“I think we made a name for ourselves. It’s too bad we couldn’t close the deal this year, but hey these kids had a lot of success and have a lot to be proud of. I’m proud of these guys.”

Wilmot will be welcoming home the team at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the school’s commons.

— Andrew Horschak and Jeffrey Zampanti in Grand Chute and David Marran contributed to this story.