LA GRANGE—The Bulldogs struggled to find their rhythm in Friday’s game two of their Regional Quarterfinals series against Shiner, Class 2A’s highest ranked team in the latest Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association poll.
Their season eventually ended with an 8-1 loss to SHS due to the Comanches building up a 5-0 lead after four innings, forcing the Bulldogs to change pitchers twice.
“They’re a dang good ball club,” Thorndale coach Kelly Kuhl said. “I’ve known coach Daniel Boedecker for almost 20 years now. Shiner’s always good, they always get after it and they’re always wellcoached.”
“I’ve only seen them play two or three times this year but we knew they were going to hit the ball, we knew they were going to play good defense and we knew they were going to have good pitching,” he added. “But we thought we were right there with them.”
Kuhl said that if you go back to game one on Thursday, his team was.
Game one was described by many spectators on both sides of the bleachers as a pitching duel. It was Thorndale’s Logan Davis, a Concordia signee, versus Shiner junior Ryan Peterson, who has yet to earn a loss this season.
Both aces battled as Davis struck out seven through six innings and Peterson struck out 11.
Shiner’s Drew Wenske came in the seventh and pitched for two innings, striking out five of the seven of the batters he faced. The series opener was ultimately decided in extra innings after Bryce Nerada brought in Peterson f rom second on a hit to right field, winning the opener for the Lavaca County squad, 1-0.
Team leaders at the plate were Hunter Thigpen, Luke Merz and Hunter Clark, who each had one hit for the ’Dawgs.
GAME TWO—Team leaders for Thorndale were Davis and Luke Merz, who each had one hit. Bryson Beran retired six batters in 3.1 innings for the Bulldogs while Coy Stutts struck out two in one inning and Merz retired two in 2.2 innings thrown.
“We misplayed a fly ball that got in between us to score one and they got a hop over our third baseman to bring in two more,” Kuhl said. “We just couldn’t get anything going at the plate to go counter that.”
“Coach Boedecker actually said he was worried about the way we hit the ball. We just got in a funk and that’s baseball, and unfortunately, we all did it at the same time,” he said.
This was the final game for seniors Broedie Salas, Colton Towery, Hunter Clark, J.D. Alcalar, Davis and Beran.
“As good of ballplayers as they are, they’re even better gentlemen, they’re better people and we’ve been lucky to be around them for the time we’ve had with them,” Kuhl said. “Logan kind of took charge, but all six seniors got after it.”
“In the past, a lot of the kids we’ve had played all sports. A lot of these kids only played baseball. So you saw them in the weight room and the field in the fall. I don’t think any of those kids had an eighth period class, so they’re at the field early starting practice,” he said. “I told them they’ve kind of raised the bar for our juniors. The bar is already high, but you can always raise that thing.”
Thorndale ends the season as Regional Quarterfinalists and 27-2A champions after going undefeated during their district slate.
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