KF89

[Hidden Content]

Down 9-1 in the 7th & Mansfield Legacy scores 12 runs to win Game 3 - 13-9. MANSFIELD LEGACY BRONCOS HEADED TO THE STATE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME

[Hidden Content]

[Hidden Content]

Rockwall Heath- 5 Rockwall- 1 Final

Game 3- Reagan- 6. Lake Travis- 2 Final

Game 2- Aledo- 12 Legacy- 4 Final

Lake Creek- 7 Georgetown- 0 Final Lake Creek 41-0, wins programs first State Softball Championship in teams first ever trip to the State Softball Tournament in the schools 4th year of being a varsity softball program. Lady Lions are your undefeated UIL 5A State Softball Champions! This marks Lake Creek's 19th shutout of the season.

[Hidden Content]

Liberty- 5 Sweeny- 0 Final

Georgetown- 2 Pioneer- 1 Final

Wakeland- 3 Forney- 0 after 3

Game 2- Rockwall- 4 Heath- 3 Final

Diboll- 5 Franklin- 2 Final

China Spring Snatches 3-2 win from Carthage Bulldogs with walk off 2 run double in eight innings The Carthage Bulldogs baseball team was one out away from taking Game 1 of the best-of-three 4A Region III championship series against China Spring. Then Bryce Tabor, who was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, came to bat. Tabor laced a two-RBI double to right center to give China Spring the walk off 3-2 victory over Carthage in eight innings Thursday night at Prosper High School. The Bulldogs will play Game 2 at 5 p.m. Friday at Prosper High School, and if necessary, Game 3 will take place 30 minutes following the conclusion of Game 2. “It was a good baseball game, we just didn’t come out on top,” Carthage Coach Jason Causey said. “We walked a guy, and if we don’t walk a guy late in the inning maybe something happens with that run. We had opportunities throughout the course of the game to capitalize and get a run here or there, and we didn’t. At the end of the day we just didn’t make enough plays to win the game.” Carthage took their first lead of the game in the top of the eighth inning when Todd Register hit a one out triple. The junior catcher would score on a Marcus Rosales wild pitch that sent the Bulldogs dugout into frenzy. Sophomore reliever Matthew Smith, who had pitched perfect through 1 and 1/3 innings, came into the eighth and got leadoff hitter Jase Garrett to ground out before walking Brayden Faulkner. Smith got Cage McCloud to ground out before allowing a single to Trace Necessary and the game winner to Tabor. “Runs were scarce,” Register said. “One error or one bad pitch could determine the game, and they got two runners on and had a timely hit and won. That’s how baseball is sometimes.” Carthage starter Javarian Roquemore and China Spring starter Kolby Killough put on a pitchers duel until both surpassed the their 110-pitch maximum pitch count allowed. Roquemore threw 5 and 2/3 innings, allowed just one hit, one unearned run, five walks and struck out nine. Killough pitched seven innings, allowed seven hits, one earned run, walked two, hit a batter and struck out 10. “We pitched well, we gave up three runs in eight innings,” Causey said. “To be honest with you, the run they scored early on was off an error, so the fact of the matter is if we play defense early on it’s a 2-1 or 1-0 game.” The Cougars scored the first run of the game when courtesy runner Gabe Watkins scored on a Bulldogs’ fielding error. The Bulldogs tied the game 1-1 in the top of fifth when China Spring did a bit of a surprising move. The Cougars opted to intentionally walk leadoff hitter Noah Paddie to put runners on first and second base to pitch to Connor Cuff. Cuff — who struck out in his two prior at bats in the game — made China Spring pay and delivered an RBI double to left centerfield scoring pinch runner Patrick Malone. “I had two bad at bats before that, so I knew I needed to step up and help my team in the moment,” Cuff said. “We are just going to keep playing how we do. I think we have it in us. Just stay in ourselves and play to our abilities, I think we have it.” In the game, Carthage had eight hits to just three from China Spring. Tabor had an outfield assist throwing out Register, who was trying to score on a Braden Smith single that kept the game 1-0 in favor of the Cougars in the fourth inning. Paddie went 2-for-3 with a double, Smith 2-4 while Brooks Brewster and Cade Moore both singled. “It didn’t come out like we wanted to,” Register said. “I thought we fought hard and until the last pitch. They had a good pitcher but we did what we could with him. We didn’t win, but I think we played really good.” Carthage took nothing away from China Spring and credited them with being able to pull out Game 1 of the best of three series. “I think it was a hard fought game — both sides,” Cuff said. “At the end they just came out on top, they are good. They earned it for sure.”

Liberty holds on to beat Iowa Park in Class 4A state semifinals All Liberty needed was one big inning from its bats. The Panthers started connecting at the plate in the third frame and held on in the clutch for a 5-3 victory over Iowa Park in the UIL Class 4A state semifinals Thursday evening at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. Liberty (37-6), the defending state champion, will take on Sweeny (31-9) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. Sweeny defeated Bullard 8-1 in the other semifinal contest. Liberty is aiming for its third title in the past four completed seasons. The Panthers won their first championship in 2018 and last season won another state championship last year. Sweeny is seeking the second title in program history after winning the 3A crown in 1996. The Bulldogs are making their fourth state appearance overall. This will mark the ninth time since softball became a UIL sport in 1993 that two Houston-area teams will face off in the state title game. The most recent came in 2019 when Katy defeated Klein Collins for the 6A title.

Friendswood sweeps Lake Creek, advances to state semifinals Friendswood used the long ball to put an end to Lake Creek’s run. In the process, the Mustangs are moving on to the Final Four. Friendswood beat Lake Creek, 8-3, in Game 2 to sweep the Region III-5A championship series Thursday at Rice University’s Reckling Park to advance to the UIL state semifinals next week. “It’s huge,” Friendswood coach Cory Benavides said. “Especially coming from last year and that heartbreak. Day 1, these guys, this is what we wanted. It’s big for definitely our program, but for our community.” The Mustangs (29-7-1) hit two home runs to power their way to a sweep of the Lions, who finished the season with a 28-7 record in their first regional finals appearance in school history. Friendswood’s season ended last year in the region finals to eventual state champion Barbers Hill. “First of all, congratulations to Friendswood, their community, their high school,” Lake Creek coach Jeremy Schramm said. “They’re well-deserving. I wish them the best of luck in the state tournament. Congratulations to Friendswood, their coaching staff, they did an outstanding job. I know they’ll represent our Region III.” Boots Landry crushed a two-run home run to right in the first inning to spot Friendswood a 2-0 lead. “He squared up three baseballs last night, and they just didn’t happen to fall,” Benavides said. “The next night, he comes out here and gets one, and it goes. So that’s just how it goes. But that’s huge, getting going in that very first inning.” The Mustangs added a run in the second when Dylan Maxcey doubled down the left-field line. Lions left fielder Luke Ekdall fired a throw to shortstop Blake Brown, who relayed the throw to catcher Aiden Delacerda to cut down a runner attempting to score on the play to end the inning. Lake Creek pulled within 3-1 when Sam Lee hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Samson Pugh in the second. Maxcey, who went 2-for-2 with five RBIs, cranked a three-run homer down the left-field line in the fourth, giving Friendswood a five-run lead. “He does that day in and day out,” Benavides said of Maxcey. “That’s who he is. It’s funny because he’s known for his defense, one of the best defensive catchers I’ve ever seen, especially at the high school level. But people kind of forget about his offense and his power.” The Mustangs’ long balls accounted for five of their eight runs. “They ran into two balls, one in the first, one in the fourth, those were big for them,” Schramm said. “Against a team like that, it kind of put us in a hole. I felt that we were still fighting, we were still getting guys on base.” The Lions cut the lead in half in the fifth on a two-run single to center by James Kennedy. Mustangs reliever Dane Perry had runners on second and third after Ethan Davis hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line, following Kennedy’s two-RBI base knock, but got a strikeout to end the threat. Friendswood tacked on two more in the sixth on Maxcey’s sac fly into shallow right field and Reed South’s RBI double. That made it 8-3. South went 2-for-4. Ayden Pearcy was 2-for-4 for the Mustangs. Ethan Uribe was 2-for-3 for the Lions. Jaron Lyness was 1-for-4 with a triple. Pugh was 1-for-4. The Lions had runners on the corners with no outs in the sixth, but Perry retired the next three batters to end the inning. Lake Creek starter Jace Newkirk went 3.2 innings, allowing three earned runs, six hits and no walks. Friendswood starter Easton Tumis worked 4.2 innings, giving up three runs, three hits and two walks. Lions middle reliever Bryce Pacovsky went two innings, allowing two runs, three hits and a walk. Closer Jack Haag worked 1.1 innings, giving up no runs, no hits and no walks, while striking out two. Perry went 1.1 innings, allowing no runs, two hits, and no walks, while fanning two. Griffin Kasemeyer closed the door, working the final inning, allowing a hit, no runs and no walks. “It’s hard right now to sum it up to words,” Schramm said. “Our seniors have always honored this program, each and every day by their work ethic. They’ve left a legacy here of high expectations, not only on the field, but in the classroom, in the community. They’re outstanding young men, those seven guys. We appreciate everything they have done for our program.” Jim McCurdy, Correspondent. June 2, 2022 10:09 p.m.

S.A. Reagan- 3 Lake Travis- 2 Final, 9 innings

Game 1- Georgetown- 4 Pioneer- 0 Final

Game 1- Wakeland- 2 Forney- 1 Final

Game 1- London- 3 Bishop- 1 Final

Game 2- Gunter- 4 Pottsboro- 1 Final

Game 2 - Brock- 4 Bowie- 1 Final

Lake Travis- 2 San Antonio Reagan- 2 Headed to the 9th inning

Game 1- Heath- 6 Rockwall- 0 Final