THRALL – The Thrall Tigers varsity baseball team picked up a muchneeded run-rule victory over the Fayetteville Lions on Friday, March 20 at Thrall High School.
Ty Matthews and Jack Gustafson led the way offensively, combining to go 5-for-6 at the plate with three RBIs each.
Both players also contributed on the mound. Gustafson got the start and pitched four strong innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four. Matthews came on in relief and closed out the final inning with one strikeout.
Thrall wasted no time getting on the board, erupting for seven runs in the first inning. Bryce Brinkmeyer jump-started the scoring with an RBI double to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Weston Smiley and Gustafson followed with consecutive RBI singles, extending the lead to 4-0. The Tigers continued to pour it on as Matthews and Korbin Bow each delivered RBI singles, and another run came home on a sacrifice fly to cap the inning at 7-0. The Tigers kept the momentum going in the second inning, adding four more runs. Smiley drove in a run with an RBI single, and Gustafson delivered the biggest blow of the night with a two-run home run to push the lead to 10-0.
Thrall added one more run in the inning on an RBI single from Matthews, who later capped his night with his third RBI on another single in the third inning.
The victory was an important one for the Tigers, who had dropped five of their previous six games entering the matchup.
With the win, Thrall improved to 5-9-1 overall and will look to carry the momentum into district play as it seeks its first district victory of the season against Rogers on Friday, March 27. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Thrall High School.
