By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

ROUND ROCK — Thrall threw everything — and everyone — it could at Wall.

But not even a Tiger could stop the juggernaut that was the Hawks Thursday afternoon at Dell Diamond.

Wall racked up 17 hits against Thrall’s pitching staff to defeat the Tigers 14-2 in five innings to win the UIL Class 3A Division II baseball state championship.

“I woke up this morning with a 50/50 shot of being a state champion. At the end of the day, it was such a great experience for our kids and our community,” said Thrall head coach Justin Adams. “For me personally, this is the season of my life. We came into the season with no expectations. We kind of knew what we had, but we still learned along the way and had so many kids contribute. I’m so proud of them.”

Adams wasn’t the only one proud of the team.

A sea of purple filled the stands along the third-base line at Dell Diamond, just a 30-minute drive from Thrall. Adams said it looked like everyone in eastern Williamson County showed up.

“I mean, this is incredible,” he said. “This might rival a Round Rock Express crowd. It’s been great to look up and see the support. We’re down 12-1 and they’re still chanting, ‘Let’s go Tigers.’”

Still, it was a long, blistering afternoon for the Tigers (31-7-1) and their fans.

Wall (31-6) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. Kellan Oliver led off with a walk and advanced to third on a single to right field by Hagyn Barbee. Both runners scored on the next two at-bats before Gunnar Dillard crossed the plate on a single by Luke Kemp, who later scored on another single. Thrall pitcher Maverick McAllister ended the inning by getting Trevor Wyatt to fly out.

Dillard, named the game’s Most Valuable Player, went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs scored, a triple and a stolen base.

McAllister got one run back in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, the senior drew a walk and scored on a double to center field by designated hitter Gus Navejas. Weston Smiley then walked, and an error loaded the bases with two outs.

But Wall pitcher Gage Reichenau struck out Bryce Brinkmeyer to end the threat. Reichenau pitched a complete game, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out five.

McAllister had a tough outing and took the loss, giving up eight runs on 11 hits with one strikeout. He was relieved in the fourth inning after Wall extended its lead to five runs.

The Hawks’ offense didn’t let up, adding six more runs off two additional pitchers to take a 12-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth. After Reichenau retired the Tigers in order, Wall tacked on two more runs to trigger the run rule.

Thrall needed four runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game, but managed just one — a triple by McAllister that scored Nick Treuter.

This was Thrall’s second appearance in the UIL baseball state tournament. The Tigers won the Class 1A state title in 1998.