The reigning University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A Baseball State Champions began their title defense with a 3-2 win over Sachse in the UIL Bi-District round on Thursday evening at Sachse High School. Senior Heath Vankirk improved his record on the year to 7-1, hurling a complete game to help the Rangers (22-11) capture home field advantage in the series.
 
Seniors Alex Lengyel and Mark Ready posted doubles for Jesuit, while senior Julian Colombo went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Lengyel, Will Guzman and Michael Schoettmer each drove in a run for Jesuit, while Colombo, senior Jacob Palisch and junior Bijan Kamalipour crossed the plate. Vankirk threw a complete-game four-hitter, allowing one run while striking out five.
 
Sachse (17-12) jumped ahead early with a leadoff home run from center fielder David Redding. The Rangers tied the game at 1-1 after a double to left center by Lengyel plated Colombo, who singled to center field to lead off the top of the second.
 
Over the next four innings, the contest became a pitching duel between Vankirk and Mustang starting pitcher David Gonzalez. Vankirk retired the Mustangs after Sachse placed a runner in scoring position with one out in the inning, forcing a 3-4 double play in the fifth after the leadoff runner reached.
 
In the top of the sixth, pinch hitter Jake Ryan posted a one-out single to set the pace for the inning. Back-to-back singles by Colombo and Will Guzman loaded the bases, and Schoettmer cashed in with a sacrifice fly to left, plating Kamalipour and putting the Rangers back in the lead. John Guzman scored on a passed ball to bolster the Rangers' lead to two runs.
 
Sachse scored a run in the bottom of the sixth, but Vankirk shut the door on the Mustangs, aided by a phenomenal defensive play from Schoettmer, who caught the leadoff runner stealing with no outs in the inning. Vankirk closed the game with a fielder's choice and a groundout to hand the Rangers a 1-0 advantage in the series.
 
On Friday, the series shifts focus to Wright Field, where the Rangers and Mustangs will battle at 7 p.m. If needed, game three will take place at Sachse High School on Saturday, May 6 at 1 p.m.
 
The team advancing from the Jesuit/Sachse series will meet the winner of this weekend's series between the Rockwall-Heath Hawks and the Lufkin Panthers. Game one of the Lufkin/Rockwall-Heath series will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. in Tyler, Texas.