Wall Baseball Dominates Thrall to Win Second State Title

Wall jumped all over Thrall and its ace pitcher, Maverick McAllister, for four runs in a monstrous first inning.

"Super proud and relieved," Gordon said of the Hawks' first inning. "We could not have had a better start."

While Wall's explosive offense churned out 17 hits, pitcher Gage Reichenau allowed only three hits to keep Thrall at bay.

Wall finished its season with a record of 31-6, while Thrall ends at 31-7-1.

Thrall's McAllister, who is committed to West Texas A&M, seemed like a pitcher who had the capability to perhaps limit Wall's offense.

But any hopes the Tigers had of a low-scoring game vanished in the first inning when Wall scored four runs on four hits.

Thrall did answer back in the bottom of the first by scoring a run and loading the bases with two outs, but Reichenau got a strikeout to get out of the jam, and the Tigers never threatened again.

Wall added another run in the third, then blew the game wide open with seven runs in the fourth for a 12-1 lead.

Kellan Oliver, Hagyn Barbee, Gunnar Dillard, Caleb Braden, Luke Kemp and Jacob Braden all had multi-hit games to lead the offense.

Kemp made his return for the Hawks after spending the majority of this season out with an elbow injury.

"So proud of the young man," Gordon said. "He's had to battle adversity with injuries his entire career. He busted his butt to try and get through rehab to get back specifically for this game."

Kemp also appeared for Wall two seasons ago, the last time the Hawks made the state final, as a pitcher.

"I had a gut feeling to put him in the lineup," Gordon continued. "I just felt like I needed to put him in the five hole at DH. You want to talk about a kid making a coach look smart — he did exactly that. He came in and was phenomenal for us."

Jacob Braden went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, while Dillard was 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Reichenau, who picked up his 100th strikeout of the season in the game, was a perfect 14-0 on the mound this year.

Reichenau is one of numerous juniors who are returning next year, making Wall the likely No. 1 team in the state when the 2026 season begins.

LIVE UPDATES

5:58 p.m. Reichenau strikes out Navajes to end the inning and the game with a 14-2 run-rule win. The Wall Hawks have won their second state title in program history!

5:55 p.m. Back-to-back triples by Thrall cuts Wall's lead to 14-2 with two outs in the fifth.

5:52 p.m. Gage Reichenau just recorded his 100th strikeout of the season to start the fifth. He's pitching a one-hitter that's going largely unnoticed because of the Hawks' explosive offense, which has churned out 17 hits.

5:48 p.m. Middle of the fifth: Wall 14, Thrall 1

5:47 p.m. Jacob Braden with an RBI single to score Caleb Braden, and Wall leads 14-1.

5:46 p.m. After another pitching change, back-to-back Hawks have been retired. They still have two on with two outs.

5:40 p.m. Luke Kemp with an RBI single to score Dillard, making it 13-1.

5:37 p.m. Gunnar Dillard with a leadoff triple to start the fifth.

5:34 p.m. Thrall's Brinkmeyer reaches on a one-out error, but Wall promptly turns a double play to end the inning. 

5:29 p.m. Thrall gets out of the inning, but Wall tacks on seven runs in the inning. The Hawks lead 12-1 as we head to the bottom of the fourth.

5:26 p.m. Trevor Wyatt with a two-run single of his own, and Wall now leads 12-1. 

5:24 p.m. Jacob Braden with a two-run single to make it 10-1 Wall.

5:20 p.m. Reid Ballard draws a walk to score a run and make it 8-1. We now have another pitching change. Wall has the bases loaded with one out.

5:18 p.m. Caleb Braden with a single to put runners on first and second. Luke Kemp was retired on a pop-up, but Lawson Dankworth was walked to load the bases with one out.

5:12 p.m. Gunnar Dillard with a two-run single up the middle, and the Hawks have taken a commanding 7-1 lead. That will be it for Thrall pitcher Maverick McAllister.

5:11 p.m. Back-to-back singles by Kellan Oliver and Hagyn Barbee to start the inning for Wall.

5:07 p.m. Reichenau sits down the heart of Thrall's lineup in order for a quick 1-2-3 inning. Wall will take a 5-1 lead into the fourth.

5:02 p.m. Thrall turns a double play for the second consecutive inning. Wall still leads 5-1 heading to the bottom of the third.

5:00 p.m. Ballard with a leadoff single. Jacob Braden then hits into a force out, but he beats the throw to first base.

4:57 p.m. Reichenau works around a two-out walk, and Wall leads 5-1 at the end of the second inning.

4:50 p.m. Thrall turns a double play to get out of the inning without any further damage. Wall leads 5-1 heading to the bottom of the second.

4:48 p.m. Luke Kemp is walked to load the bases.

4:46 p.m. Caleb Braden strikes out, but Dillard stole second during the at-bat to put runners on second and third.

4:44 p.m. Gunnar Dillard with a bloop single to put runners on the corners with no outs.

4:43 p.m. Hagyn Barbee with an RBI double to score Oliver. Wall leads 5-1.

4:42 p.m. Kellan Oliver with a leadoff triple, and Wall's offense is right back at it. 

4:40 p.m. Reichenau strikes out Bryce Brinkmeyer to get out of the jam. Wall leads Thrall 4-1 at the end of the first inning.

4:38 p.m. An error has loaded the bases, and this is now a big moment in this game.

4:36 p.m. Weston Smiley is walked, and Thrall suddenly has the tying run at the plate.

4:34 p.m. Gus Navajos with an RBI double, and the Tigers are on the scoreboard, trailing 4-1. That's only the sixth earned run Reichenau has allowed this year.

4:32 p.m. Reichenau was one pitch away from a 1-2-3 inning, but McAllister battled through a 15-pitch at-bat to draw a walk and keep the inning alive. 

4:22 p.m. Thrall is finally able to get out of the inning, but the Tigers are now facing a 4-0 deficit before they even step in the batter's box against Wall pitcher Gage Reichenau, who is 13-0 on the mound this season with a 0.49 ERA.

4:19 p.m. Jacob Braden with an RBI single to score Luke Kemp and make it 4-0.

4:17 p.m. Reid Ballard flies out to center field for the second out.

4:14 p.m. Lawson Dankworth hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Thrall pitcher Maverick McAllister now being visited on the mound by his coach.

4:13 p.m. Luke Kemp with a single, and Wall scores another run to go ahead 3-0. Braden was caught in a rundown, however, for the Hawks' first out. What a start for Wall.

4:12 p.m. Wall pushes its lead to 2-0 after an RBI single by Caleb Braden.

4:11 p.m. Wall takes a 1-0 lead after Oliver scored on a fielder's choice by Gunnar Dillard.

4:09 p.m. Barbee with his 28th stolen base of the season, and there are now runners on second and third with no outs.

4:08 p.m. Hagyn Barbee with a single, and there are now runners on the corners.

4:07 p.m. Wall's Kellan Oliver draws a five-pitch walk to lead off the game.

4:04 p.m. Wall is the visiting team and will bat first. The Hawks will be facing West Texas A&M commit Maverick McAllister on the mound.

4:02 p.m. The national anthem has started, and we are moments away from the first pitch.

This is Wall's fourth appearance in the state final. The Hawks' only title came in 2019.

Thrall is making its second appearance in the state final. The Tigers won the Class 1A title in 1998. 

Here's the lineup for both teams this afternoon:

Wall Hawks (30-6)

9 Kellan Oliver RF

15 Hagyn Barbee CF

24 Gunnar Dillard C

3 Caleb Braden SS

21 Luke Kemp DH

18 Lawson Dankworth 1B

4 Reid Ballard 3B

13 Jacob Braden 2B

32 Trevor Wyatt LF

11 Gage Reichenau P

Thrall (31-6-1)

6 Hayden Heselmeyer 1B

2 Nick Treuter C

15 Maverick McAllister P

21 Gus Navajos DH

4 Weston Smiley 3B

3 Jack Gustafson LF

7 Bryce Brinkmeyer SS

1 Ethan Boecker 2B

5 Ty Matthews RF

8 Landon Gregory CF