THRALL – After reaching the Class 3A-Division II state championship last season, the Thrall Tigers varsity baseball team fell short of a postseason return this year, dropping a 3-0 decision to Rockdale in a winnertake- all tiebreaker for fourth place in district on Saturday, April 25, at Thrall High School.
Thrall’s offense, which struggled throughout the season, managed just three hits in the loss. Junior Jack Gustafson took the loss on the mound, pitching five innings and allowing two runs while striking out three.
Witten Hammitt came on in relief and allowed one run while recording a strikeout.
Rockdale broke through in the third inning with an RBI single to score a runner from second and take a 1-0 lead.
Walks and errors proved costly for the Tigers in the sixth inning, as a walk and a defensive miscue helped set up two additional runs, which scored on a walk and a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 3-0.
Thrall had opportunities late, putting runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but three straight outs ended the threat. The Tigers also put two runners on base in the seventh inning, but a strikeout ended the game.
Thrall finished the season with an 11-15-1 overall record and a 5-7 mark in district play. Despite the outcome, the Tigers are set to return much of their roster, providing optimism for next season.
