Fastball - UIL bi-district baseball: Keller sweeps Lake Ridge and more, plus area scores

Welcome to the high school baseball edition of the Fastball, a Star-Telegram series highlighting Fort Worth-area teams. The UIL bi-district round is in full swing so check out coverage and results.

Keller sweeps Lake Ridge with pitching gems

Cole Koeninger tossed 6 innings of no-hit ball and went 2 for 4 at the plate with 2 runs scored as Keller defeated Mansfield Lake Ridge 6-0 in Game 2 on Thursday night to sweep their Class 6A Division I bi-district series.

Koeninger, a Tennessee signee, struck out 14 for Keller (31-2-2) which will play the winner of the Odessa Permian (15-18)-El Paso Pebble Hills (18-11-2) series next week in the area round. Koeninger singled to lead off the game for the Indians and scored later in the 2-run first inning on a passed ball.

Koeninger led off the 4-run third inning with a single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Logan Brown. Jayden Moeller lined a single to center to knock in 2 and Cody Miller’s RBI double to right drove home Moeller to make it 6-0.

Luke Pelletier had the only hit for Lake Ridge (19-12-2) with a 2-out double in the top of the seventh off of Connor Davenport who also struck out the side.

In Game 1 on Wednesday, Brown tossed a complete-game, 1-hitter as Keller took a 4-0 decision. Brown, who’s headed to the University of Houston, struck out 11 and walked 3.

The game was scoreless until the Indians scratched across a run in the bottom of the fifth on a fielder’s choice ground out by Bodie Davis that scored Moeller who had led off with a single. Koeninger led off the sixth with a triple and came home on a double to right by Brock Burkett that sparked a 3-run inning which included an RBI single by Brown.

Jaiden LaCour-Loyd tripled to lead off the fourth for the Eagles only hit, but was caught in a double play to end the inning.

Martin advances with wins over Richardson

Arlington Martin jumped out to a 4-run lead and then held off Richardson 5-3 in Game 2 on Thursday at Richardson High School to sweep the Class 6A Division I series.

Martin (16-17) moves on to face Hebron (25-6-2) in the area round next week after the Hawks swept Plano West. The Warriors won Game 1 against Richardson 6-2 at home on Wednesday.

Martin jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Parker Hopson and Damian Openshaw were both hit by pitches. With 2 out, Hopson scored on a wild pitch and Openshaw came home on an RBI single by Ian Vacha, who later scored on an RBI double by Alan Guzman.

A bases-loaded walk to Cooper Albart in the third made it 4-0 Martin, but Richardson countered with 3 runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 4-3. The Warriors got some insurance in the sixth when Guerin Powers was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and later scored with 2 outs on balk.

Richardson (19-11-2) only managed to get 2 more base runners after the fourth and never threatened against Ezekiel Guardiola who tossed the final 3 innings for the Warriors.

In Game 1 on Wednesday Vacha tossed 6 innings of scoreless ball scattering 4 hits while striking out 10 and walking 2 in Martin’s 6-2 win. Openshaw went 3 for 4 at the plate for the Warriors with an RBI double in a 4-run fifth inning.

Hopson, Jacoby Hazen and Powers had 2 hits each for Martin..

Byron Nelson edges Legacy in nine innings to move on

Hayden Kaylor scored on a gound out by Kenson Buth in the top of the ninth inning and Trophy Club Byron Nelson held on for a 3-2 win over Mansfield Legacy on Thursday at Legacy High School to sweep the Class 6A Division II series.

Byron Nelson (27-6-1) drummed Legacy (23-10) in Game 1 at home on Wednesday 11-1 in five innings. The Bobcats will meet Wolfforth Frenship (27-9) in the area round next week after the Tigers swept El Paso Coronado.

Legacy scored twice in the bottom of the sixth on a double by Corbin McDaniel that drove home Eli Dugan and Jake Jenkins to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead. But Byron Nelson countered in the top of the seventh when a pair of bases-loaded walks with 2 out to Lane Furr and Buth brought home Reid Williams and Bryce Risley to tie the game.

In Game 1, Buth, a junior Baylor commit, starred tossing 5 innings allowing 1 earned run while scattering 3 hits with 9 strikeouts and walking 2. At the plate, Buth doubled twice and tripled in 4 at bats driving in 2 and scoring once.

Buth’s double drove in a run to start a 6-run fourth inning. Williams doubled in 2 runs in the inning and a two-bagger by Brendan Arata drove home Williams.

Kennedale sweeps Pinkston with a pair of shutouts, no hitter

Kennedale got a 5-inning no-hit pitching performance from Chance McLaughlin as the Wildcats downed Dallas Pinkston 10-0 in a run-rule shortended Game 1 of their Class 4A Division II bi-district playoff on Wednesday at Jet Teague Park on the campus of Kennedale High School.

Kennedale (21-8) advances to the area round and will meet Frisco Panther Creek (29-2) next week. Panther Creek’s only 2 losses on the season were by 1 run in extra innings to both Lake Dallas and Flower Mound Marcus.

McLaughlin struck out 6 while walking none to get the win on the bump. The Wildcats only had 3 hits on the day, all singles by Colton Sandoval, Tanyan Miller and Kyle Moore, but benefitted from 11 walks and 2 errors by the Vikings.

In Game 2 of the double header, Pinkston (9-16-1) was able to scratch out 4 hits against Kennedale’s Rami Mahmoud, but again couldn’t score in a 10-0, 6 inning game. Mahmoud struck out 12 batters and walked 1.

The Wildcats pounded out 11 hits in the nightcap led by Nathan Arber who went 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI. Colton Sandoval (1 run, 1 RBI) and Jacob Monreal (2 runs, 1 RBI) had 2 hits each for Kennedale.

Dilon Sandoval had a double and 2 RBI in a 4-run third inning for the Wildcats. Miller doubled with 2 runs and 2 RBI.

Click here to see the Fort Worth-area UIL bi-district baseball scores