THRALL – Sophomore Jack Gustafson delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Thrall Tigers to a 6-5 victory over Caldwell on Tuesday, March 18. Gustafson finished 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI.
Thrall found itself in an early hole after Caldwell jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, capitalizing on a basesclearing double and an error. The Tigers chipped away in the third, scoring twice on a throwing error to make it 4-2.
A sacrifice fly in the fifth brought them within one, and senior Ethan Boecker’s RBI single in the sixth tied the game at 4.
Both teams were held scoreless in the seventh, sending the game into extra innings. Caldwell regained the lead in the top of the eighth with an RBI single, but Thrall responded.
The Tigers drew a walk to open the inning and advanced the runner to scoring position with a stolen base. Sophomore Weston Smiley came through with an RBI single to even the score at 5.
Thrall then loaded the bases with no outs, setting the stage for Gustafson’s gamewinning hit.
With the win, Thrall improved to 12-2-1 overall and 2-1 in district play. The Tigers traveled to Fayetteville on Friday, March 21, before hosting Rogers on Tuesday, March 25, at 7 p.m.
