SAN ANTONIO — The Thrall Tigers are headed to the Class 3A-Division II state finals after edging Orange Grove, 2-1, in a decisive Game 3 on Saturday, May 31, at Northeast Sports Park in San Antonio.
The Tigers prevailed in a low-scoring pitchers’ duel, thanks to a strong outing from junior utility player Jack Gustafson, who tossed 6.1 innings and allowed just one run while striking out one.
Both teams were scoreless through the first two innings before Thrall broke through in the top of the third. Senior Hayden Heselmeyer scored on a sacrifice fly from senior utility player Maverick McAllister to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Thrall extended its lead to 2-0 in the fifth when Heselmeyer, who reached after being hit by a pitch, came around to score on an RBI single by senior Nick Treuter.
Orange Grove responded in the bottom half of the fifth with an RBI triple to make it 2-1. After the Bulldogs put two runners on with one out in the bottom of the seventh, McAllister took over on the mound and shut the door with back-to-back strikeouts to seal the win.
Treuter and sophomores Gus Navejas and Bryce Brinkmeyer each finished with two hits to lead the Tigers at the plate.
Thrall now turns its attention to the state championship, where it will face Wall High School at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 5, at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Wall enters the title game following a dominant season, finishing 34-6 overall and a perfect 13-0 in district play. Both teams are 10-1 in the postseason.
The Hawks are expected to start Gage Reichenau on the mound, while the Tigers will counter with their ace, McAllister. Both teams feature deep bullpens.
Wall's offense is led by Caleb Braden and Lawson Dankworth, while Heselmeyer and McAllister have been Thrall’s top contributors this postseason.
