Rangers Escape Upset-Driven Rowlett
 
Jesuit Dallas earned its fifth consecutive UIL Bi-District Championship with a hard-fought, three-game series win over Rowlett. The Rangers scored an 8-1 win in the first game of the series, rebounding from a 2-1 loss in game two to capture the series with a 6-4 comeback victory on Saturday at Prosper High School. Senior Paul Gramling provided the game-winning hit for Jesuit Dallas, a two-out, two-run single to break a 4-4 tie and provide the Blue and Gold with the difference in the contest. Junior Ben Shepherd threw four innings of shutout work in relief, allowing only four hits while striking out two batters to pick up his second win of the season.
 
Jack Lynch earned the victory in game one, hurling five innings and striking out five. Senior Chris Irby took the ball for the sixth and seventh to cap the Rangers' victory. Senior Tyler Murrah suffered his first varsity loss in game two despite striking out four batters over six innings. Jesuit Dallas trailed, 3-0 in game three before the Blue and Gold scored one run in the fifth and three in the sixth to take the lead.
 
Ending the Streak
 
Rowlett's game two victory ended a 16-game winning streak for Jesuit Dallas, a run that began on March 20 and lasted until May 5 against the Eagles. During that run, the Rangers averaged 9.25 runs per game while allowing 2.56, hitting a .363 clip as a team with a .521 team slugging and .481 team on-base percentage, converting 39-of-48 stolen base attempts. Senior Maccoy Lopez led the charge, hitting .510 during the streak followed by senior Bijan Kamalipour, who hit .489 while slugging .894, and sophomore Jalon Mack, who turned in a .373 batting average.
 
On the mound, the Jesuit Dallas pitching staff compiled a 1.58 team earned run average, striking out 7.44 batters per game. Senior Tyler Murrah and junior Jack Lynch impressed, throwing 31.0 and 30.1 innings, respectively. Murrah only allowed four earned runs in five starts, including three complete games, striking out 47 while Jack Lynch only allowed four earned in six starts while striking out 44 hitters. Senior Peter Delkus hurled 15.2 innings, earning a save and a pair of wins while posting a 0.89 ERA.
 
Scouting Oak Ridge
 
The War Eagles enter the UIL Area Round with a 21-8 record, hoping to continue a three-game winning streak after a rough conclusion to the season which saw Oak Ridge go 2-3 over the final five district games of the season. The UIL District 12-6A Champions swept Mesquite Horn in two games, securing game one 10-2 before clinching the series with a dominant, 12-2 win. Pitcher Logan Letney jump-started the War Eagles in game one of the series, hurling six innings and striking out seven batters while allowing only six hits.
 
In addition to the success on the rubber, Will Cardin, Carson Ogilvie and Chase Roberts posted multi-hit games. In the second game of the series, Roberts continued to excel, throwing a complete game on the mound while capping a five-inning run-rule victory with a walk-off, two-run home run.
 
The War Eagles reached the regional quarterfinal round for the third consecutive year last season, two years removed from the program's season-best run to the regional final. Head Coach Mike Pirtle anchors a team that begins the area round ranked 23rd in the state according to TXHighSchoolBaseball.com.
 
Recent History
 
Thursday's game will begin the third postseason series in four years between Jesuit Dallas and Oak Ridge. The two programs first met in the 2015 Region 2-6A Championship Series, when the War Eagles were anchored by Gatorade National Player of the Year and current TCU Horned Frog Luken Baker. Jesuit Dallas would capture the series in two games, winning game one and game two, 3-1 and 4-0 respectively to continue its march to the first UIL 6A State Tournament in program history.
 
The following year, the two programs clashed again in a three-game regional semifinal round classic, won by Jesuit Dallas in three games. Oak Ridge won game one at Rice University, 3-0 before the Rangers captured back-to-back wins at Dallas Baptist University. J.T. Mix '17 forced the game-winning, bases-loaded walk in the 11th inning of game two before J.J. Montenegro '17 scored his second victory in as many days after appearing late in game two before starting game three. Jesuit Dallas would use the momentum from the regional semifinal victory to capture the first UIL 6A State Championship in program history a few weeks later with a 6-2 win over San Antonio Johnson.
 
Up Next
 
The winner of the UIL Area Round series will move on to battle either College Park or J.J. Pearce in the UIL Region 2-6A Quarterfinal round. Entering the tournament as the fourth seed in District 12-6A, College Park upset District 11-6A champion Rockwall-Heath in three games while J.J. Pearce, the three-seed out of 9-6A, swept Lakeview Centennial in two games to move onto the next round. Klein Collins, Anderson, Memorial or Round Rock await the winner of the regional quarterfinals. College Park and J.J. Pearce begin their series on Friday at 7 p.m. in Richardson, Texas before moving to College Park on Saturday for a 3 p.m. first pitch.