A go-ahead, two-run single by senior
Paul Gramling pushed the Jesuit Dallas Rangers past the Rowlett Eagles, 6-4, in game three of the UIL Bi-District series on Saturday at Prosper High School. The Rangers dropped game two of the series, 2-1, but rebounded for a key win to punch their ticket to the UIL Area Round against Oak Ridge.
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Junior
Ben Shepherd scored the win for the Rangers in game three, hurling four innings of scoreless work while striking out two batters. Gramling finished the game going 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs driven in. Seniors
Maccoy Lopez and
Tyler Murrah drove in one run apiece while senior starting pitcher
Peter Delkus struck out four batters during a five-inning outing.
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In game two, Gramling drove in the Rangers' lone run, plating fellow senior
Bijan Kamalipour while Murrah added a four-strikeout appearance. Kamalipour and freshman
Gavin Perryman added doubles to the Jesuit Dallas effort while junior
Jalon Mack forced two walks.
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How it Happened – Game Three
- Rowlett jumped out to a 3-0 lead with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Eagles held the Rangers to one hit through the first four innings and seemed poised for a stunning upset after dropping an 8-1 decision in game one.
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- The Jesuit Dallas bats began to awaken in the fifth inning. Sophomore Tyson Pointer cracked a one-out single to the Rowlett pitcher, advancing to second on an error by the Eagle ace. Murrah would send a single up the middle to score senior pinch runner Cole Beach, butting the Rowlett lead to two runs.
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- After Delkus hurled a scoreless bottom of the fifth, Jesuit Dallas returned to the plate for an eventful sixth inning. Sophomore Braxton Boyle led off the frame with a double to center field, scoring junior pinch runner Nick Hafertepe after a double down the left field line by Lopez. The senior would score on a passed ball to tie the game at 3-3.
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- Senior Bijan Kamalipour would give the Rangers their first lead of game three with a deep ball to center field. A collision between two Rowlett outfielders allowed the senior enough time to round the bases and give Jesuit a 4-3 lead.
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- Rowlett would tie the game with one out in the bottom of the sixth, pushing the game into extra innings. The two teams would remain scoreless throughout the eighth, but the Rangers would take the lead for good in the ninth.
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- In the top of the ninth, back-to-back singles by Boyle and Lopez put two men on with no outs in the inning. Junior Garrett Reuben pushed the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. With two outs in the ninth, Gramling singled to center field to score the two runners, spotting Jesuit Dallas a two-run lead. Shepherd would allow one base runner in the bottom of the ninth but shut the door on the Eagles' season, earning the win while sending Jesuit to the UIL Area Round.
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How it Happened – Game Two
- In the bottom of the first, Rowlett put a runner into scoring position with no outs in the inning. Murrah worked his way out of the frame, forcing a fielder's choice before striking out the final two batters of the inning to keep the bout scoreless going into the second.
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- After both teams played to a stalemate through three innings, Jesuit Dallas got on the board in the fourth. Kamalipour laced a two-out double down the right-field line, scoring after Gramling cracked a single that snuck under the glove of the second baseman, scoring Kamalipour for the game's first run.
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- Murrah retired the Eagles in order during the fourth inning, working his way out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth after a Rowlett runner reached second base with one out in the inning. In the sixth, Rowlett seemed poised to tie the contest after the first two batters reached base, but a double play followed by flyout allowed the Rangers to take the lead into the seventh. Rowlett would force a game three after launching a game-winning, two-run double in the bottom of the frame.
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Inside the Box Score
- Sophomore Tyson Pointer led the Rangers' offense, batting a .556 clip during the series with five hits and a double. Gramling anchored Jesuit's run production with three RBI on a .300 batting average. In addition to Pointer's impressive stat line, Lopez and Murrah finished the series batting .500 each, with Lopez launching a pair of doubles while driving in two runs.
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- The Jesuit Dallas pitching staff combined for a 1.59 earned run average during the series, striking out 21 combined batters while only walking 12. The Jesuit Dallas batters forced 16 walks while only striking out 14 times.
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- Saturday's loss in game two ended a 16-game winning streak for Jesuit Dallas, concluding a run that took the Rangers from a 0-2 start in district play to the No. 2 seed in UIL 9-6A and a berth in the area round. The winning streak spanned an 11-1 win over Richardson on Mar. 20 to Thursday's 8-1 win in game one against Rowlett. The Rangers outscored opponents, 148-41 during the 16-game winning streak, hitting .363 as a team.
Up Next
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Jesuit Dallas will advance to take on Conroe Oak Ridge in the UIL Area Round. The first game of the three-game series will take place inside the friendly confines of Wright Field on Thursday, May 10 at 6 p.m. before the action moves to Oak Ridge H.S. for game two at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 11. If game three is needed, it will take place on Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m. from Corsicana H.S.
