State-bound Keller ousts 2-time 6A baseball champ Carroll; Brock wins, Aledo falls
Keller 6, Southlake Carroll 4
Keller scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning en route to a 6-4 win over District 4-6A rival Southlake Carroll in a decisive Game 3 of their Class 6A Region 1 final on Saturday evening at Dallas Baptist University.
Keller (35-7) will be making its second trip to the state tournament. It will be announced on Sunday if the Indians will play at either 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. on Friday with the championship game scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday. All 6A games will be held at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Keller lost in the state semifinals in 1991, 2-1, to Spring Klein Oak.
Carroll (29-18) is the two-time defending Class 6A state champions and was trying to make its 10th trip to the state tournament and fourth in a row. The Dragons had won 16 straight series in the playoffs.
Keller took a 4-0 lead with two runs in the first and two more in the third.
Griffin Barton led of the game with a hustling double to left center and Aiden Connors followed with a single to right center chasing Barton to third.
Gray Rowlett lifted a fly ball to left scoring Barton for the first out of the inning. Two batters later Clayton Thomas laced a single down the left field line to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.
Connors led off the third with a single to left center, but after two were out the first of two delays due to lightning strikes halted play.
After an hour and 10 minute pause, Braden Davis lined the first pitch he saw down to line in left to score Connors. Thomas followed with a shot to left that hit about 2 feet below the top of the 12-15 foot wall, driving in Davis.
“I thought it was gone,” said Thomas, who has starred at the plate the past two series for Keller. “This is so exciting and it’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball. Especially with these guys, a senior led team, going out there and beating our rivals.
“They played a great game, but we played better. We’re not done yet.”
Davis, starting on the mound for Keller, cruised until the fifth when the first six Carroll hitters reached base safely with four singles, a walk and a hit batter.
Gunnar Krug and Ethan Mendoza drove in runs with singles, Max Reyes got hit by a pitch to drive in a run, and Mendoza scored on a wild pitch to tie the score, 4-4.
The Indians took advantage after a second lightning delay halted play for 30 minutes.
The Indians first two batters of the seventh made outs, but after the delay five Keller hitters in a row walked. Davis drove in Connors with a bases-loaded walk and a balk with Thomas at the plate scored Rowlett for a 6-4 lead.
Davis labored, but managed to finish the 4-run fifth by the Dragons. Seldom used pitcher Max Miller, an Arizona State signee, came on in the sixth for the Indians and proceeded to retire all six batters he faced in the final two innings, three by strikeout.
“It was huge for Braden to get us out of that inning with a tie,” said Keller coach Rob Stramp, who is in his 23rd season with the Indians. “Max hasn’t pitched since tournament play early in the season and has been a little frustrated that he hasn’t had an opportunity.
“But I told him in practice one day that someone that hasn’t pitched much could come in and pitch the biggest innings of the year. And we saw it tonight out of Max.”
Rockwall-Heath 11, Rockwall 3
Rockwall-Heath is headed back to the state tournament for the second time after downing District 10-6A rival Rockwall in the third game of their Class 6A Region 2 final on Saturday afternoon at Dallas Baptist University.
Heath (36-11-1) lost Game 1 to Rockwall (31-13-1), 8-1, on Wednesday and won Game 2 on Friday 11-4. The Hawks won the Class 4A (now 5A) state title in 2012 with a 10-1 win over Cleburne.
Jett Williams homered to left to lead off the third inning for the Hawks and give Heath a 3-2 lead.
The Yellowjackets countered when Barrett Riebock, who went 3 for 4, homered to right leading off the bottom of the third to tie the game at three, but Heath pulled away after that.
Kaston Mason’s 2-run homer to right in the fifth gave the Hawks a 6-3 lead.
Amarillo 8, Aledo 1
Amarillo scored seven runs in the first two innings and coasted to a Game 3 win over Aledo to win their Class 5A Region 1 final on Saturday at Christensen Stadium in Midland.
Aledo (29-11-2) had won Game 1, 2-1, but Amarillo (33-9) won 6-3 on Friday to even the series.
It will be the fourth trip to the state tournament for the Sandies (1952, 53, 2016) who have yet to win a state baseball title.
Aledo was vying for its fourth trip to state. The Bearcats won the 2014 Class 4A title.
Amarillo scored five times in the first on RBI singles from Tristan Curless (2 runs), Will Franklin and Nathan Haws and a ground out by Jett Johnston that drove in a run.
In the second, Davien Berry walked in front of a 2-run, inside the park home run to center field by Cayden Phillips to put the Sandies up 7-0.
Max Belyeu doubled to left with one out for Aledo in the top of the fourth, moved to third on an infield single by Parker Stegall and later scored on an error for the Bearcats’ only run.
Will Maynard homered to left field to lead off the bottom of the sixth for Amarillo.
Johnston allowed an unearned run on four hits with six strikeouts over four innings for the Sandies. Jacob Ferro pitched the final three frames giving up two hits and fanning two.
Brock 12, Shallowater 1 (6)
Brock pounded out 12 hits and two pitchers held Shallowater to one hit over six innings in a run-rule win in the deciding game of the Class 3A Region 1 final on Saturday afternoon at Abilene Christian University.
Brock (29-10-1) will be making its sixth trip to the state tournament. The Eagles won the Class 2A title in 2006 and have most recently made the tournament in 2018.
Brock will play in the state semifinals at either 9 a.m. or noon on Friday with the title game set for 9 a.m. on Saturday. All games will be at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Cash Jones went 3 for 4 for Brock driving in a run and scoring three times. Tyler Moody and Jaxon Gleaton had two hits and two RBI each for the Eagles.
Tristan Boedeker tossed the first 2-plus innings for Brock allowing a run on no hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Dusty Baker went the final four innings for the Eagles allowing one hit with a walk.
A double by Brooks Carter in the third inning drove in the only run for Shallowater (34-8).
This story was originally published June 6, 2021 at 3:06 AM.