STEPHENVILLE, TX — The No. 2 Wall Hawks jumped out to a hot start and held off Boyd to claim victory in Game 3 of the 3A Div II State Semifinal matchup in Stephenville on Saturday. Wall scored five early runs and then held off Boyd to win, 6-2.
"I'm unbelievably proud of the boys' fight, overcoming the adversity in Game 2 in a close one," Wall's Head Coach Jeremy Gordon said after the victory. "They just never stopped fighting. I'm so unbelievably happy and proud."
Wall's Reid Ballard delivered another solid performance on the mound. He pitched for six innings, allowed seven hits, and two runs. He also added several strikeouts in the Hawks' victory.
Hear from the Hawks' head coach, Jeremy Gordon, below:
The Hawks' bats heated up early with five runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. Almost every player in Wall's lineup was involved as the Hawks scored five runs from seven hits in the 1st.
After that, the bats cooled off, but an excellent defensive performance put several zeros on the board for Boyd until midway through the contest.
In the top of the 5th inning, Boyd finally struck back. Two lead-off singles led to two runs. The Hawks had an opportunity to put out one of those runs at the plate, but the throw arrived just too late. Wall minimized the damage and held a 5-2 lead headed to the 6th.
Wall managed to put up an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th thanks to an RBI-triple from Gunnar Dillard. The young man had himself a day, going 3/4 at the plate with a triple.
Wall Hawks Baseball
(San Angelo LIVE! Photo/Ryan Chadwick)
"You really can't put into words what Gunnar Dillard means to this team," Coach Gordon continued. "His leadership, loyalty, keeping the guys heads right, and doing what he does for our pitchers. Invaluable part of this team."
Gage Reichenau stepped on the mound in the top of the 7th inning to close it out. He delivered a solid inning, a mere two days after pitching in Game 1. The Hawks claimed victory, 6-2.
With the win, Wall heads to Dell Diamond for the state championship game in Round Rock. The Hawks will face off with Thrall on Thursday, June 4. First pitch in that matchup is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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