Grapevine Faith falls in TAPPS Division II baseball state championship

Grapevine Faith Lions head coach Robert Vaughn knew his team would need to “play mistake-free ball just to have a chance to win” as it squared off against the powerful Houston Lutheran South Academy Pioneers in the TAPPS baseball Division II state championship.

That did not come to fruition as Grapevine Faith fell, 11-0, to dominant Lutheran South Academy, at Clay Gould Ballpark played at the University of Texas-Arlington campus.

Five errors, five walks, four hit batsmen and a wild pitch all contributed, as did yielding nine hits, to the downfall for the Lions, who were shut out for the first time all season.

Scoreless after two innings, Lutheran South got things rolling in the top of the third. A one-out single -- on a close play at first base -- preceded a pair of hit batsmen. Another single, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly left Grapevine Faith with a 3-0 deficit.

Lutheran South, No. 2 in the Texas High School Baseball (THSB) Large Private School rankings, pushed across four more runs in the fifth -- two hit batsmen, an error and two hits did the damage.

Three walks, a double and a sacrifice fly sealed the game as the Pioneers added four more in the seventh.

Grapevine Faith managed just four hits against Lutheran South senior Pitcher Grant Burns, a Wharton County Junior College signee who authored a complete-game shutout, fanning nine without walking a batter. Only once did the Lions get a runner to second -- in the bottom of third after a two-out throwing error by the Lutheran South shortstop allowing batter Garrison St. Romain to take the extra base.

All four Lions hits were singles -- Garrison St. Romain in the first, Cohen Ross in the second, Jace Walker in the fifth and Luke Little in the seventh. Little was Grapevine Faith’s starting pitcher, tossing 4 2/3 innings, yielding six hits and seven runs. John Byler hurled the final 2 1/3 frames, giving up four runs on three hits.

“I thought if we could keep it close, that might give us an opportunity to make something happen,” said Vaughn. “We just did not play a good game all the way around. They {Lutheran South] just over-powered us.”

“We are a very good ballclub,” added Vaughn. “Lutheran South is a great ballclub.”

Vaughn and the Lions were facing a squad that boasts a roster that includes seven seniors signed to play baseball at the college level, and a junior who is a University of Texas pledge (Marcus Cantu).

“We have great respect for Lutheran South,” said Vaughn, who is in his sixth season guiding the Lions program. “But we did not fear them, and were not intimidated by them.”

Grapevine Faith (26-6) edged district 1 foe and reigning state runner-up Fort Worth Southwest Christian, 1-0, in the semifinal the previous day, as Harding signee Ryan Romolo pitched a complete game gem -- a two-hit shutout, striking out five while walking just two batters.

Romolo induced a game-ending double play when Southwest Christian had runners on first and second. Romolo, 11-1 this season, including the playoffs, surpassed the 100-strikeout plateau for the year with his semifinal outing. That came on the heels of a 2-0 complete-game shutout of Bullard Brook Hill a week earlier in the Regional round that propelled the Lions to the state tourney.

“I can’t say enough about the job Ryan did in the playoffs, and all season,” Vaughn said. “Such a tremendous competitor. Great leadership qualities. Just a warrior.”

The Lions finished as runner-up to FW Southwest Christian in District 1 despite sweeping the Eagles 19-1 and 8-2 in a pair of regular-season meetings in late March.

Grapevine Faith, No. 16 in the final regular season THSB Large Private School state rankings, was making its third overall TAPPS state tourney appearance, having won its lone title in 2008. The Lions last reached the Final Four in 2017.

Ryan Romolo, senior Caden Anholt, junior Luke Little and sophomore Jace Walker were selected to the 12-player all-tournament team from Grapevine Faith. Fort Worth Southwest Christian players named were juniors Barrett Portwood and Alex Turman.

Vaughn praised his eight-member senior class, three of which will be playing baseball at the college level. In addition to Harding-bound Romolo, infielders Garrison St. Romain and John Byler are Tyler Junior College, and Odessa Junior College signees, respectively.

Anholt, a catcher, will be an Air Force walk-on, whom Coach Vaughn feels has “a great chance to make their roster”.

“This senior class has helped change the culture of Grapevine Faith baseball,” said Vaughn. “So proud of all they have accomplished. And this season is something we can build on.”