A complete game, 13-strikeout performance by junior Jacob Palisch and an offensive eruption in the seventh inning allowed Jesuit Dallas to become the first team since 2013 to earn back-to-back trips to the University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A State Semifinal, capturing the Region II crown, 9-1, over Atascocita on Saturday evening at Tornado Field on the campus of Concordia University.

Torrential rain in the Austin area forced the suspension of the contest on Friday evening, reverting the original three-game series to a one-game playoff on Saturday morning.  Jesuit (34-8-2) responded with its second highest scoring output of the postseason, punctuated by a seven-run seventh that provided the squad an eight-run lead.

Senior Jared Kengott kicked off the seventh inning scoring with a two-run single, finishing the game 1-of-3 from the plate.  Fellow fourth year Kyle Muller went 3-for-4, scoring a run and driving in another, while junior Mark Ready went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs driven in. 

Jesuit fourth years Pete Hamrick, Bryce Bonner and Jared Bond also recorded Ranger RBI, while junior Alex Lengyel scored a team-high two runs.  Seniors Matt Horvath, Connor Lynch, junior JT Mix, Muller, Bond, Ready and Kengott each crossed the plate for the Blue and Gold.

Palisch began the contest on Friday evening, then retook the mound after the 12-hour suspension.  The junior responded by not allowing a hit from the second to seventh inning, retiring 16 consecutive batters to start off Saturday's game action.  In total, Palisch recorded his second-highest strikeout total of the postseason, and will enter the UIL State Semifinal with 59 strikeouts in the playoffs.

On Friday, Atascocita struck in the bottom of the first inning to open the series scoring before the Rangers aimed to equalize in the top of the second.  Bonner laced a double to right field on a 2-2 count to lead off the inning before Lengyel made his way to third on a one-out wild pitch.  Ready sliced a 1-1 fastball that landed in shallow center field, scoring Lengyel and tying the contest, 1-1 before rains stopped play.

Palisch settled in after the elongated delay, retiring eight consecutive batters from the first to third innings to keep the Eagles' bats at bay.  Jesuit loaded the bases with one out in the third, but an inning-ending double play ended the Ranger threat.  Atascocita's leadoff hitter walked in the bottom of the fourth, but Palisch forced a foul out before striking out the final two outs of the inning.

Muller cracked a deep fly to left field, ricocheting off of the heightened left field wall to result in a triple to lead off the sixth.  Two batters later, Bonner placed a push bunt down the first base line with Muller running home, converting the squeeze play for the go ahead run. 

A leadoff walk in the seventh quickly turned into a nightmare scenario for the Eagles, with singles by Horvath, Kengott, Muller, Bond and Ready along with a sac fly by Hamrick elevated the Jesuit lead to 9-1.  Palisch allowed a leadoff double in the seventh, the only hit allowed by the Stanford verbal commit on Saturday, ending the game with a strikeout.

Jesuit joins San Antonio Johnson, Amarillo and Langham Creek as the four teams to punch tickets to the UIL 6A State Semifinals, with the final berths set to be decided on Sunday.  The last team to clinch consecutive trips to the UIL 6A State Championship Semifinals was Arlington Martin, which accomplished the task in both 2012 and 2013. 

The Rangers, under the leadership of head coach Brian Jones, will head into the state semis ranked No. 6 in the state according to the last Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association (THSBCA) Coaches' Top 10 Poll.  Their opponent is yet to be determined.