THRALL – Thrall’s bats have waged war on opposing pitchers this season. The Tigers, who are currently 7-3, have scored in double figures in seven of their 10 games, so far this season. That includes their first three games in the Thrall Invitational Tournament over the weekend.
On Thursday, the Tigers rocked the Florence Buffaloes 19-0 to open the tournament. Maverick McAllister, who is currently second on the team with a .593 batting average, and leads the team in extra-base hits, went three for four at the plate against the Buffaloes and drove in four runs. Tyler Bonkowski, Anthony Sandoval, and Ty Bradford added to the assault with two hits each, and they combined for an additional four runs batted in.
Thrall finished the game with 16 hits, while McAllister and Hayden Heselemeyer combined to no-hit the Buffaloes. Florence managed just two baserunners on a pair of walks.
In their second game Thursday, the Tigers spotted the Gatesville Hornets a 3-0 lead after two innings but rallied for a 10-4 win.
Gatesville put a run on the board in top of the first, and added two more in the second, before the Tigers began their rally. In the bottom of the third, Thrall took advantage of a Hornet error and a pair of walks, along with a Jack Watson single to plate five runs and take a 5-3 lead.
Gatesville trimmed the lead to 5-4 in the top of the fourth, but once again, Thrall’s bats would not be silenced. Back-to-back errors put two Tigers on for Asa Gibbs, who lined a double to right, scoring both runners. A walk to Heselmeyer again put a pair of runners on. This time it was McAllister who knocked out a two-run double for a 9-4 Thrall lead. The final run came on a Bradford single.
The Tigers took the field just once on Friday, but their bats were still on fire as they rocked the Bruceville-Eddy Eagles 14-2 in just three innings.
Once again it was McAllister’s bat was doing serious damage to the opposing team. He finished the game with three hits in three trips to the plate and drove in three runs. Heselmeyer also had a big game, driving in three runs on two hits.
Carson Ball got the win for the Tigers, allowing one run on one hit in two innings of work. He also struck out three Eagle batters.
The Tigers were scheduled to play the Austin Texans Saturday. Thrall will resume district play Tuesday when they host the Thorndale Bulldogs. They will also host Granger Friday, and Rosebud-Lott on Saturday to cap off a big week of district contests.
