2025 1A State Championship Game

We made it to the last Saturday of baseball in Texas to watch the Gordon Longhorns face the Fayetteville Lions.  This is the Longhorns first trip to the State Tournament.  The Lions have been here 11 times including the last 2 years.  The battery for the Longhorns was Aiden Schenk (8-2) and Brayden Walters receiving pitches.  The Lions would throw Jack Schley (6-0) with Dylan Henneke behind the plate.

With one out Easton Jaeger got the hitting started with a single up the middle.  He moves up to second on an errant back pick attempt.  Jack Schley moved him to third on a single to right.  Chance Konvicka scored him with a sacrifice fly to right.  Kandon Kaspar added a run with a single up the middle that scored Jack Schley.  A fly out to left ended the top of the inning.  With one out, Aiden Schenk was hit by a pitch.  A balk moved him to second base.  Strykr Reed drove him in with a single to right.  With runners at the corners, the inning ended with a line out to second.

With two outs, Easton Jaeger drops in a ball behind first and scores Lawson Fritsch who had reached first on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a stolen base.  The top of the second ended with a fly out to center.  Gordon would go down relatively quickly and quietly on two strikeouts and a ground out to third.  Chance Konvicka led off the top of the 3^rd with a single but advanced no further as Aiden Schenk retired the next three batters on a strikeout and two flyouts.

In the bottom of the third, Gordon was back to the top of their lineup.  Maddox Stewart started the offense with a single to left.  Three pitches and a stolen base later he was on second.  He would get to third and Asher Salinas got to second.  A strikeout ended the inning.  The fourth started off with a strikeout but then Shank would give up a walk and a single to set the stage for a Easton Jaeger RBI single to right. The Lions got runners to 2^nd and third before Shank got Konvicka to ground out to Evan Jackson at first.

The bottom of the 4^th was a little exciting as it appeared Brayden Walters would score on a steal of third and an error on the throw.  The umpires sent him back to second.  He would later get thrown out at home after another steal of third and a error on the throw.  This time Jaeger backed up the thrown and threw him out at home.  The 4^th ended 4-1 in favor of the Lions.  The Lions went down in the top of the 5^th on three strikeouts looking and a walk.

Chance Konvicka game in to pitch for the Lions in the bottom of the 5^th.  An error and a stolen base put Stryker Reed at third.  A strikeout ended any threat and the inning.  Maddox Stewart came in to pitch for the Longhorns in the 6^th.  Despite an error, no runners advanced to second.    He struck out two.  Konvicka was outstanding in the bottom of the 6^th, throwing just 7 pitches to get three quick outs.

The Lions were relatively quiet again at the top of the 7^th.  Maddox had two strikeouts and a fielder’s choice.  Down to their final three outs, Longhorn Corvin Seymour walked.  Kaden Crowe came in as a pinch runner.  The Longhorns had the tying run at 2^nd, but Konvicka managed to get a pop out in foul territory that was caught by Dylan Henneke to secure the win and the 2025 State Championship.

WP – Jack Schley

SAVE – Chance Konvicka

LP – Aiden Shank

Player of the Game:  Easton Jaeger