Late Rally Not Enough for the Wall Hawks to Win State

Wall struggled on offense throughout the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings. The Hawks never really had the good looks that they needed and did not manage to threaten on the bases. However, Boyd exploded in the 4th and 5th innings. After the Yellowjackets loaded the bases in the 4th, a hit by pitch scored another run for Boyd. In the 5th, a single and a throwing error put two men on the bases for the Yellowjackets. Boyd displayed an excellent small ball after that by moving runners with bunts. Wall failed to get the outs they needed off those bunts, and the bases were loaded with no one out. Boyd then hit a double to centerfield scoring two. The next batter hit a triple into deep center field to score one more. Finally, a wild pitch allowed a final fun to score before the Hawks finally got out of the inning. Headed to the 6th, the Hawks trailed 6-0.

Wall finally battled back at the top of the 6th. A lead-off single from Garren Wiggins kickstarted Wall’s offense. Kellan Oliver put down a sac bunt to move Wiggins over to second. Caleb Braden then singled to left to earn himself an RBI and score Wiggins. The Hawks loaded the bases after that, but Hagyn Barbee's deep shot to left-center was caught for the final out.

Down to their last three outs, the Hawks had to come up with something in the 7th. Will Scherr started the inning with a single, followed by another single from Hallmark and a walk from Garren Wiggins. The Hawks had bases loaded with no outs. First, a wild pitch scored Will Scherr. Then Kellan Oliver hit a 2-RBI double to left field, scoring Hallmark and Wiggins. Oliver was thrown out at third for the second out, and the Hawks had their backs against the wall. Dillard hit a ball right back at the pitcher, who stopped it with his body. Boyd put Dillard out at first and survived Wall’s rally to win the state championship, 6-4.

The Hawks finished their 2023 campaign with a 35-7-1 overall record. They are the 2023 3A-State Runner-up with their second-place finish on Saturday. Gunnar Dillard, Wall’s Catcher, and Quarterback during football season, gave some of his time after the loss for an interview. Check it out here:

Saturday’s game against Boyd was the last game Head Coach Jason Schniers would coach for the Hawks. In an interview after the game, he praised his team and had great things to say about his time in Wall. Check out the final post-game interview with Coach Schniers here:

While the final result didn't earn the State trophy that Wall and the greater San Angelo community wanted, these boys showed grit and determination in the face of adversity to the very end. The fact that they made it to the state championship series at all, considering how young the team is, is a testament to the coaching staff and the culture of athletics that Wall builds at their high school. These guys will be back in this situation, and this loss should be nothing more than motivation moving forward.