LUBBOCK, TX — Cloudy skies and another lightning delay could not deter the Wall Hawks from their pursuit of a Regional Semifinal Championship on Saturday, May 27. After splitting the doubleheader on Friday against the Bushland Falcons, Wall carried the momentum from their win in Game 2 to Saturday’s final matchup. Solid pitching, great defense, and a 4th inning rally propelled the Hawks to another victory, 4-2.
The contest began as even as any game at this level could, with zeros on the scoreboard for the first two innings. Wall’s Dylan Gidney closed out the top of the 3rd on the mound before a weather delay halted the game. Rain permeated the field for almost an hour before the gathered lightning dispersed enough to resume the action. When Game 3 finally resumed, the Hawks quickly took action and scored the first run on an RBI sac fly from Luke Kemp. Wall led 1-0 after three.
Wall Hawks defeat Bushland in the 2023 Regional Semi-Finals
(San Angelo LIVE! Photo/Ryan Chadwick)
Wall Hawks defeat Bushland in the 2023 Regional Semi-Finals
(San Angelo LIVE! Photo/Ryan Chadwick)
Wall Hawks defeat Bushland in the 2023 Regional Semi-Finals
(San Angelo LIVE! Photo/Ryan Chadwick)
The game’s momentum shifted after the rain and lightning. The Hawks continued to light up the scoreboard in the 4th inning. Gunnar Dillard kickstarted the offense with a double to left-center that rolled to the wall. Nathan Pepper came in as a courtesy runner and immediately stole third. Pepper scored one batter later when Dylan Gidney hit an RBI single to right field.
Hagyn Barbee then grounded out but advanced Mason Martinez (courtesy runner for Gidney) to third base. Will Sherr then hit an RBI single to right to score Martinez. two batters later, Matthew Steen stepped up with the bases loaded and drew a walk, scoring Sherr. Wall led 4-0 headed to the top of the 5th inning.
Bushland gave a comeback their best attempt in the final two innings. The Falcons scored one in the 6th inning before three outs were the only thing that separated them from defeat. Bushland scored one more run in the 7th to make the score 4-2. With two on and two out, Wall’s closer, Hallmark, forced a pop-fly to right field for the final out. The Hawks celebrated near the mound and advanced to the Regional Finals after a 4-2 Game 3 victory.
An excited Head Coach, Jason Schniers, talked about his team's resiliency after the game. Check out the interview here:
The Hawks next prepare for the Regional Final against the Brock Eagles. The game date, time, and location are still to be determined. Since 2017, the Regional Champion has either been the Brock Eagles or the Wall Hawks. This new chapter is sure to add even more to these schools’ great rivalry.
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