The Flatonia Bulldog baseball team survived a best of three series vs the Ganado Indians this past weekend to clinch a birth in the 2024 UIL State Tournament for Class 2A. This Regional Championship marathon of a series proved to be all it was built up to be.
Games two and three were played down in Kenedy last Friday and Saturday, to avoid the rain that had hit Hallettsville after Thursday nights game one.
Flatonia won a thriller in the deciding game three by a 3-2 score over Ganado. The winning run was pushed across in the top of the seventh inning.
Rambo Ramirez led off the seventh with a double to left cen- terfield. After an intentional walk to pinch hitter Tripp Bowling to create a force out on all the bases, a sacrifice bunt from Blake Kes sler moved both baserunners up.
Railey Nieto then plated the winning run on a sacrifice fly to the left centerfield alley.
Titan Targac knocked in the Dogs first two runs with a single down the right field line during the top of the fourth inning.
Targac would also come in to pitch in relief of starter Blake Kessler to close out the bottom of the seventh inning. He induced the final three ground balls that the Bulldog infield picked up and made great plays on to get the fi nal three outs.
Kessler pitched a heck of a game over six innings. He gave up just one earned run, on four hits, three walks, and had two K’s.
Two hits were each hit by Cale Janecka, Raymond Toro and Rambo Ramirez.
The Bulldogs put the home team in a position to clinch on Saturday by winning game two on Friday by a 12-3 score.
Ganado was winning 3-2 in game two going into the bottom of the sixth. However the sixth inning saw Flatonia score 10 runs on four hits, four Indian errors, two hit batsman and one walk.
Janecka and Kessler each led Flatonia with two hits apiece in the second game.
Targac pitched a three hitter and gave up one earned run, with three walks, and 12 K’s.
Game one last Thursday went to Ganado by a 4-5 score. This game went eight innings.
Beck Zimmerman led the team in game one by starting and pitching into the eighth inning. He gave up four earned runs on eight hits, five walks and had 10 K’s.
Game one offensive leaders were Cale Janecka with three hits, and Henri Vincik and Zimmerman each had two hits.
The two victories over Ganado would put the Bulldogs into the UIL State Tournament for the seventh time in school history. The previous six included: 1992, 1993, 2008, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
The Indians were actually a District 29-2A opponent of Flatonia. Ganado had beaten Flatonia twice during district play, but the Dogs survived to win the district championship before the playoffs got underway.
The Bulldogs advanced to the UIL State Semifinals, where they took on the Hawley Bearcats June 5 at Dell Diamond Stadium in Round Rock.
The other Class 2A state semi- final game has Collinsville tak ing on Centerville on June 5.
The Class 2A State Championship game is scheduled to be played today (Thursday, June 6) at noon. This game is also to be played at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
The baseball team would like say “THANK YOU” to all the family and friends that came out this past weekend to watch some HS baseball.
The team would also like to invite all of the community to make the drive to Round Rock this week to cheer on the Dogs in their quest for their fourth State Baseball Championship!
COME EARLY, BE LOUD, & WEAR MAROON & WHITE!
See ya at the ballpark!
