The Mocksville Junior Legion baseball ride got even better when it captured the Area III title by outlasting Randolph County last weekend.

Now the team is going from Mocksville to Manteo for the state tournament.

Mocksville and Randolph met for the first time all season in the area finals. Both teams were assured state berths, but they were playing for a championship and for a top seed at Manteo.

Mocksville lost, 4-2 on the road, in game one of the best-of-three series on July 13. It stayed alive by surviving 6-5 at home on July 14. It roared to its first Area III title in 11 years by crushing Randolph, 11-4 on the road, in game three on July 15.

Mocksville’s only other area championship came in 2007. The 16th-year program is headed to the state tournament for the fourth time. In 2004, it finished fifth. In 2007, it finished third. In 2017, it received an automatic berth as the host but didn’t make serious noise.

Mocksville will carry a 22-8 record to the event, traveling 319 miles to Manteo High School. The tournament will run from July 20-24.