THRALL — When Thrall High School hired Justin Adams as their new baseball coach, he said he expected to challenge for a district title in 2023-2024. As the Tigers near the midway point of the season, it appears that his team may be destined to fulfill his expectations. The Tigers are 14-5-1 on the season, and a perfect 7-0 in District 27-2A play after a pair of wins on Friday and Saturday.
The Tigers scored at will in a 17-0 rout of the Bremond Tigers (4-6, 1-4) on Friday. Jack Gustafson drove in five runs on a pair of hits, while Anthony Sandoval and Weston Smiley each picked up a pair of hits to lead an 11-hit attack by the Tigers. Gustafson also picked up the win on the mound, surrendering just two hits in the five-inning contest.
On Saturday, the Tigers won their sixth straight game, and tenth in their last 11 games, with a hard-fought 4-2 win over the Bartlett Bulldogs (9-9-1, 2-4).
The Bulldogs scored all of their runs in the top of the first. Thrall starter Maverick McAllister surrendered a pair of hits and a pair of walks in the first that accounted for two Bartlett runs, but McAllister, along with Ethan Boecker and Anthony Sandoval combined for an inning-ending double play.
The Tigers responded with a run in the bottom of the first. Gustafson hit a two-out double to center and scored on Jaden Rodriguez’s single to left.
The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fourth inning when Rodriguez reached on an error to lead off the inning. Sandoval walked to put runners at first and second with one out, and Rodriguez scored to tie the game when Carter Bradford lined a single to centerfield and the Bartlett centerfielder mishandled the ball.
Thrall pushed across the winning runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Boecker and Weston Smiley drew one-out walks, and Ty Matthews was hit by a pitch to fill the bases with Tigers. McAllister also drew a walk that forced in Boecker and the Tigers held a 3-2 advantage, their first lead of the game. Gustafson added an insurance run with a run-scoring fielder’s choice that gave the Tigers a 4-2 win.
McAllister picked up the win with seven innings of four-hit ball. The Tigers were limited to just three hits but made the most of them in recording the win.
The Tigers will travel to Marlin on Thursday night to face the Chilton Pirates. The game will be played in Marlin because Chilton has no field. They will begin the second half of district play on Tuesday when they travel to Milano to face the Eagles.
