ROUND ROCK — The Fayetteville Lions baseball team was defeated by Abbott Panthers June 9 at the 2023 UIL Class 1A State Baseball Championship finals at Dell Diamond in Round Rock by a final score of 6-5.
Abbott jetted out to an ear ly lead and led for most of the event, but the Lions hung tough and made it a game all the way down to the final out.
“We have a lot of young players,” said Fayetteville head baseball coach Clint Jae ger.
"Future's looking good. We're still gonna be good.
About those seniors, it’s hard
to replace them. We will, we always do, we always find a
way, but it’s tough losing those guys."
Fayetteville senior Parker Vitek is the vocal leader on the team and was also a member of the 2021 state champion ship team. "I mean, we came up short, but the memories I made with these guys, I won’t ever forget. It was a good three years. I won't forget nothing. It
sucks we lost, but I guess that’s just the way it's meant to be."
Abbott scored two runs in their first at bat from a single to left field and a fielder's choice to the pitcher's mound.
The Panthers went on to rack up a bunch of base hits, a walk, and a run scored on a balk in the third inning to take a 5-0 advantage.
Fayetteville was able to make it on the board in the fifth inning on two base hits, an infield hit, and two sacrifice flies from senior catch- er Logan Fritsch and senior shortstop Travis Gully to put it at 5-3. Abbott tacked on one
more run in the top of the sev - enth inning after a double and a base hit blooper to left field.
Lions junior third base - man Keagan Supak led off his team’s seventh inning ral ly with a double to left-center field, then Fritsch drove in Supak with a single to left.
This was followed by a base hit to center from junior Reid Gross to score a run and put runners on first and second with one out. A fly out and a
strikeout from Fayetteville
ended the game for a 6-5 final result and Abbott win.
