SAN ANTONIO — The Thrall Tigers varsity baseball team split the first two games of a threegame series against the Orange Grove Bulldogs in the Class 3A Division II state semifinals on May 27–28 at Northeast Sports Park in San Antonio.
The teams meet again at 3 p.m. Saturday in a winner-takes-all third game at Northeast Sports Park. The winner of the series faces the winner between Region I champion Wall and Region II champion Boyd in the Class 3A-Division II state championship game Thursday at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Game 1: McAllister leads Tigers to 4-1 victory
Senior utility player Maverick McAllister was dominant on the mound, tossing a complete game and allowing just one run on one hit with four strikeouts in a 4-1 win over the Bulldogs. The game unfolded as expected, with both teams’ aces keeping hitters quiet for most of the contest. Orange Grove struck first with an RBI single in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead.
It took the Tigers four more innings to respond.
In the top of the sixth, a single from senior Nick Treuter sparked a threerun rally. Thrall tied the game on a dropped fly ball, then took the lead on a two-run single by sophomore Bryce Brinkmeyer to go up 3-1. The Bulldogs went down in order in the bottom half of the sixth.
Thrall added an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single from sophomore Gus Navejas to extend the lead to 4-1.
Orange Grove threatened in the bottom of the seventh with two runners on and two outs, bringing the tying run to the plate. But senior center fielder Ty Bradford made a catch on a fly ball to seal the victory and give Thrall a 1-0 lead in the series.
Game 2: Brinkmeyer struggles in 7-1 loss to Bulldogs
Brinkmeyer had a tough outing in Game 2, walking six and hitting four batters in just 4.1 innings as the Tigers fell 7-1 to the Bulldogs.
Thrall took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first after an errant throw by the Bulldogs' shortstop allowed McAllister to score. But Brinkmeyer played with fire early, escaping jams in the first two innings with runners in scoring position.
Orange Grove finally broke through in the third, loading the bases with two outs. A hit-by-pitch tied the game, and a two-run single made it 3-1. The Bulldogs added another run in the fourth on an RBI single and tacked on three more in the fifth to push the lead to 7-1.
The Tigers’ offense struggled against Bulldogs pitcher Zack Wright, who threw 6.2 innings and allowed just one unearned run. Thrall had one final chance in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but designated hitter Kallen Bow was called out on strikes to end the game.
Senior Hayden Heselmeyer reached base four times, walking three times and being hit by a pitch.
