Fuqua School’s varsity baseball team has reached the state championship game for the second consecutive year.

The No. 3 Falcons took a 5-4 lead on a solo home run by sophomore Drew Osborn in the bottom of the fifth inning Sunday at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights. No. 7 Brunswick Academy tied the game up in the top of the seventh after a balk, but then Fuqua sophomore Colton Copley hit a walk-off single to give his team a 6-5 victory in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Division III state semifinals.

The Falcons play for the state title Monday at 1 p.m. at Shepherd Stadium.

Fuqua Head Coach John Adams said that to be in this position for the second year in a row means a lot to him.

“I hope it means more to the guys,” he said. “I’m so happy and proud of them. It’s all on them, not on me. They have to execute and get it done. I’m tickled to death for them.”

On Sunday, the Falcons took a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the Vikings tied it up in the second before going up 3-1 in the top of the third. Fuqua responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but then Brunswick went up 4-3 in the fourth and avoided falling behind again until Osborn’s homer in the fifth.

“I was getting up there just wanting to get on base for my team,” Osborn said, “but in the back of my mind, I knew I was going to hit a dinger.”

Osborn went 3-for-4 on the day.

In the seventh, Falcons senior pitcher Hunter Gilliam was called for a balk, which advanced a runner home to tie the game, but then Gilliam and the Fuqua defense calmly got out of that half of the inning without allowing any further scoring.

The Falcons loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, and then with two outs, Copley singled to bring home junior Frank Denaro, who was pinch-running for junior D.J. Williams.

Copley, who also pitched the first three innings, throwing two strikeouts, went 3-for-5 at the plate, hitting three singles.

Fuqua out-hit the Vikings 10-4 for the game.

“This game (exemplified) how this team has played all year long,” Adams said. “We had guys up and down the lineup, not just two or three, but everybody, everybody, everybody takes their turn, whether it’s the middle, the top, the bottom … really doing a good job to get a ‘W’ for the team.”

And the Falcons did this against Brunswick Academy senior pitcher Slayten Farmer.

“(We) faced one of the top pitchers in the division,” Adams said. “He’s just as good as anybody in our division and some Division II.”

But Gilliam, who has signed to play for Longwood University next season, earned the win on the mound Sunday, pitching for four innings and throwing six strikeouts.

Now, Fuqua must face No. 1 Walsingham Academy in the state championship game. Last year, the Falcons held the No. 4 seed and eliminated No. 1 Walsingham 4-2 in the state semifinals.

“That was my other thriller game, which that’s the kind of ballgame you want to be in,” Adams said. “… Hope we can take it to them. We’ve got a few guys healthy, and I hope we can get it done. Walsingham’s a top team. They’re good.”

He noted the Trojans were young last year, and “they return most everyone.”

After defeating Walsingham last year, Fuqua fell 6-5 in the VISAA Division III state final to No. 2 Southampton Academy.

“Last year, we didn’t quite finish,” Osborn said, recalling the game. “This year, hopefully we can get it done. I think we’ve got the team to do it.”