THRALL — A quarter of the way through the District 27-2A schedule and the Thrall Tigers (11-5-1 overall, 4-0 District 27-2A) find themselves atop the district standings, leading Holland by one-half game. The Tigers are currently on a four-game win streak and have won seven of their last eight games, including hard-fought wins over Thorndale and Rosebud-Lott in the past week.
On March 12, the Tigers got three-hit pitching from Maverick McAllister and shut out the Thorndale Bulldogs 5-0. Jack Gustafson drove in three runs with a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to seal the win.
The Tigers followed that win up with an 11-1 rout of Granger, before holding off the Rosebud-Lott Cougars 12-9. Against Granger, Anthony Sandoval and Jack Gustafson each drove in three runs to pace the offense. Sandoval also picked up the win on the mound. He surrendered one run on four hits and struck out five Lion batters.
“McAllister and Sandoval really stepped up on the mound,” said Thrall Coach Justin Adams. “Each went the distance in their respective starts and gave our pitching staff some flexibility for our Saturday game.”
Adams said he was also encouraged by the Tigers’ performance at the plate over the past few games. “Our whole lineup is starting to contribute, which is a good sign for down the road,” he explained. “Freshmen (Weston) Smiley and Gustafson have played beyond their years, and McAllister and (Hayden) Heselmeyer are providing steady veteran leadership in the middle of the order.” Smiley is currently leading the Tigers at the plate with a .410 batting average. McAllister is second on the team with a .400 average, and Heselmeyer is hitting at a .386 clip at this point in the season. On the mound, Sandoval is 4-0 on the season with an earned-run average of 0.700.
“Our coaching staff feels that although we have a ways to go, our team is on the right track and is moving in a positive direction,” Adams said.
The Tigers will host the Holland Hornets (7-7, 3-0) in a match-up of unbeatens Tuesday night. Thrall will travel to Bremond Tigers (4-4, 1-2) on Friday, before returning home to host the Bartlett Bulldogs (8-8-1, 1-3) on Saturday.
