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AUSTIN – It took extra innings, but someone was finally able to break through in a 0-0 stalemate between Boerne Champion and Liberty Hill during Thursday’s Region IV-5A DII finals Game 1 at Concordia University.
With the bases loaded and only one out, the Panthers tallied the only run of the contest to take a 1-0 series lead heading into Friday.
Champion had to win Game 2 Friday in San Antonio at Northeast Sports Park to force a Game 3. If the Chargers won Friday, Game 3 is in Seguin, 3 p.m.
Both teams had chances to score in Thursday’s Game 1 series opener in Austin but couldn’t push in any runs through the first eight frames.
Liberty Hill’s first batter of the game made it to second but was stranded. The Panthers also had runners at second and third in the second with no outs but didn’t score.
They also put runners in scoring position at second base in the fourth and fifth frames and had another runner at third in the sixth but were turned away every time by Champion pitcher Sawyer Smith and the rest of the Charger defense.
In that second frame, Liberty Hill had runners at second and third with no outs, but Smith pitched them out of a jam with a ground out, a strike out and then he fielded a grounder up the middle and threw to first to retire the side.
Liberty Hill’s defense returned the favor and turned double plays in the second and fourth frames to keep the Chargers off the board.
In the fifth, Aidan Smith walked, moved to second on a sac bunt by Sawyer Smith and then made it to third on a wild pitch, while Austin Garritano also walked and was at second base with two outs, but a pop up to centerfield ended the threat.
Cal Isley made it to third in the sixth inning with a one-out single. He stole second and advanced to third on a Jaedyn Yamaguchi ground out, but Isley was stranded at third after Panthers’ pitcher Jordan Andrews retired the next Charger batter to close out the inning.
AJ Grizzaffi singled in the eighth, but three straight outs with two fly outs to right field and a pop up to the infield ended the inning.
Sawyer Smith went eight full innings on the hill and threw 103 pitches before he was replaced by Aidan Smith in the ninth.
Sawyer Smith only gave up 2 hits in his eight innings of work, didn’t yield a run, walked 4 and struck out 4 and gets the tough luck “no decision” since he left with the game still knotted at 0s.
Andrews went 7 innings for the Panthers and left at 102 pitches before he was replaced by Tyler Dominguez.
Andrews yielded 4 hits, no runs, 2 walks and fanned 7 and didn’t get the decision either since Dominguez was the pitcher of record when Liberty Hill scored.
Dominguez pitched well in relief and only gave up one hit, the single to Grizzaffi in the eighth. In the top of the ninth, he struck out the first two batters he faced for his only two Ks of the game and then induced a pop up to take it to the bottom of the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth, Giancarlo Geletei started the at bat for the Panthers with a single off Aidan Smith.
Smith struck out the next batter for the first out, but Reese Pestow singled to put runners at first and second.
Greyson McVan then hit a grounder up the middle that Smith fielded cleanly but the throw to second base to start the potential double play was off and everybody was safe with the bases loaded and only one out.
Brady Gage came up for the Panthers and hit a grounder to second base. The throw from second to the plate wasn’t in time and Geletei scored to break the ice and tally the only run of the game and end it there.
Aidan Smith, Yamaguchi, Owen Kuhl, Isley and Grizzaffi recorded the 5 Champion hits in the game.
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