EULA, TX — It was another dominant win for the Wall Hawks in Eula on Friday. This time, Wall took an 11-5 win in Game 2 of the area round to sweep the series.
"It was a resilient win in a resilient series out of our guys," head coach Jeremy Gordon said. "I'm very proud of them. These guys are leaning on one another like brothers and pulling strength from one another. When one guy fails, another guy is there to pick him up. That's what it's all about."
Reid Ballard claimed the win for his excellent performance through 6 2/3 innings for the Hawks. Ballard allowed six hits and five runs (two earned runs) to go along with six strikeouts and five walks.
Despite the performance, Ballard remained humble and was even critical of his pitching.
"I have to get more first-pitch strikes and execute better on a two-pitch slider, or whatever pitch I'm throwing," Ballard said. "Those guys were really good two-strike hitters, so I just need to throw more strikes."
Some fans in attendance and his teammates would disagree with his postgame critique of himself after the game, but his attitude continues to show why Ballard seems to continually improve as the season progresses. His arm will be key for Wall if the Hawks want to claim more series later on in the postseason.
"Anytime you have (good) pitching, that's what the postseason is about," Gordon said. "The more pitching you have, the deeper you are in the bullpen, the more chance you have to win."
2026 Area Champions: Wall Hawks
Wall took a 1-0 lead early in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Jacob Braden before Tolar battled back to wrestle the lead away from the Hawks in the top of the second.
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the second, Wall continued to crank out runs consistently enough to not only retake the lead, but to put Tolar away for good early. Wall would score three in the second and four more in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Hawks enough cushion that the Rattlers could never hope to overcome.
In that fourth inning, Wall took advantage of some timely hits and walks to build a six-run advantage. Jack Jeys and Hagyn Barbee both hit singles before Kellan Oliver hit a 2-RBI single to right field. Lawson Dankworth then added two more to the board on another single to right later on in the inning for an 8-2 lead heading to the fifth inning.
The Hawks would add two more in the fifth and one more in the sixth to threaten to end the game early via the 10-run rule. However, a bizarre call on the base paths took back the winning 12th run and ended the inning after a conference between the umpires ruled Jacob Braden out.
Tolar took advantage in the top of the seventh, scoring three runs to try and mount a comeback, but nine runs is too much for almost any team to overcome. Kyler Oneal came in to pitch for the final out and secured it by forcing a routine force out to second base that ended the game.
With the win, the Hawks now advance to the 3A Division II regional semifinals against Coahoma next week. First pitch for Game 1 in that matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. next Friday, May 15, at McMurry University in Abilene. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at McMurry at noon, with an "if-necessary" Game 3 scheduled 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2.
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