Calallen Gets Extra Inning Win to Advance to 4A State Championship Game

Calallen scored on a Drayson Gamez ground ball in the bottom of the 8th inning to take the 3-2 win over Longview Spring Hill in the first 4A State Semifinal Game at Disch-Falk field in Austin. Calallen will play the winner of the Texarkana Liberty-Eylau/Canyon Semifinal game in the 4A State Championship on Thursday.

Calallen got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Chase Lynch singled off 2B Mason Barnes’ outstretched glove to give Calallen a baserunner. After a groundout, Tress Vasquez tripled to score Lynch, giving Calallen a 1-0 lead.

Spring Hill came back to tie the game in the 4th. Josiah Mackey led off the inning with a double to the left field warning track. After a fly out, Barnes doubled to right center field to score Mackey, making the score 1-1.

The score remain tied until the bottom of the 6th. With one out, Calderon got on board with a hit by pitch. After a ground out, Gamez came to bat with two outs. He singled to right field and courtesy runner Sebastian Dennis round third and headed home to score. The throw from Wilkins beat Dennis but Dennis avoided the tag and scored to give Calallen the 2-1 lead.

With their backs to the wall, Spring Hill responded in the 7th. With one out, Trent Thompson walked and Cayson Wilkins singled. Grant Burton came up and singled to left field scoring pinch runner Dakylan Johnson to tie the game at 2-2.

Landon Bartell came in to pitch a 2nd inning in the bottom of the 7th and got three straight outs to send the game to extra innings.

Calallen relief pitcher Cody Andrade gave up one single but got two strikeouts and a ground out to hold Spring Hill in the 8th.

Dayton Mitchell opened the Calallen 8th with a single to left field. He was moved to 2nd on a sac bunt and got to 3rd on a fly out to RF. Gamez came up again with runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs. Gamez grounded up the middle. Spring Hill SS Wyatt McFadin went far to his left and rushed an off-balance throw that bounced and was unable to fielded by 1B Burton. Mitchell scored on the play to give Calallen the 3-2 win.

“We’re not the biggest guys out there, but we are going to battle to the end and that is what we did today.” Gamez explained. “I had two big at bat opportunities and I knew it was important to relax and be calm and get the job done.”

Gamez was named the THSB MVP for the Semifinal Game. He was 1-3 with an RBI and a walk.

“I can’t say enough about these kids.” Head Coach Steve Chapman added. “They play hard from the time they walk into the stadium until the time they leave. No matter what happens tomorrow, I am very proud of this team and what they have accomplished this year.”