Due to UIL regulations, photo sales from state championship events are not permitted. 

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Due to UIL regulations, photo sales from state championship events are not permitted. 

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ROUND ROCK — A second seventh-inning rally in as many days was just too much for Brock to ask for, as the Eagles saw their bid for the Class 3A state championship come up a few runs short in a 16-13 loss to Corpus Christi London on Saturday at Dell Diamond.

BHS, which scored two seventh-inning runs to claim a 7-6 walk-off win over Diboll in the state semifinals on Friday, rallied from a six-run deficit to pull within two (15-13) after 5½ innings Saturday. But after London tacked on an insurance with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles could manage only a walk in their final trip to the plate, seeing their season end with loss to the Pirates for the second straight year.

Brock, which scored four in the first inning and five in the second, led 9-4 after 1½ innings and maintained a 9-7 advantage until the bottom of the fourth. But the Pirates scored five runs in that inning to take their first lead at 12-9 and tacked on three more in the fifth to increase their lead to six heading into the sixth inning.

Those two rallies concluded a stretch of 11 unanswered runs for London, which was able to hold from there to win the highest scoring state championship game in UIL history.

ROUND ROCK — On a day when virtually any ball hit in the air to the right side was an adventure, the Brock baseball team was both the beneficiary and victim of some high-sun wackiness in its Class 3A state semifinal matchup with Diboll on Friday at Dell Diamond.

But with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles caught the biggest and final break when what appeared to be routine fly ball off the bat resulted in a two-run, walk-off error and a dramatic 7-6 win over the Lumberjacks.

With his team down to its final out after watching Diboll rally from a 5-4 deficit in the top of the inning, Brock catcher Gavin Boedeker stepped the plate as the Eagles’ last hope. The junior sent the first pitch he saw off reliever Gabe Smith in the air to medium deep right field, but after fighting the sun and drifting to the spot, DHS outfielder Riley Sarmiento had the ball bounce off the heel of his glove and out, allowing Peyton Shaffer and Cam Harris to score the tying and winning runs, respectively.

It was a wild ending to an intensely competitive affair, sending the Eagles to their first state championship game since 2006.

First-year Brock baseball coach Tim Arden wasn’t coaching the Eagles when they fell in the Class 3A state semifinals to Corpus Christi London last June, but he knows the impact that loss had on his returning players.

Back in the same round one year later, with a semifinal matchup against Diboll set for noon Friday at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond, this year’s BHS team is determined to avoid the same fate suffered in 2021.

Whether it’s a rematch with London (24-13) or a date with Gunter (36-1), the Eagles want to be playing for their second state title when the championship game begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday. But having seen each of their last four state trips end in the semifinals, they know well the challenge that lies ahead.

BROCK — While it may sound clichéd to say that pitching and defense wins championships, one is hard-pressed to find teams in this year’s state baseball tournament that run contrary to the axiom.

And Brock (the lone representative in the Big Country Preps coverage area still that is still alive) fits the old saying as well as any other.

The Eagles (35-3) will face Diboll (38-4) in the Class 3A state semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The winner will advance to face either Gunter (36-1) or Corpus Christi London (24-13) at 9 a.m. on Saturday. 

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the kids,” first-year coach Brock coach Tim Arden said. “When I walked in, one of the first things I did was a defensive drill on pickoffs and rundowns. 

“And the way they executed pickoffs and rundowns without me saying a word, I knew I had a lot (of ability) to work with. These kids know how to play baseball and they’ve got the fundamentals down. … It’s by far the best defensive team I’ve ever coached.”

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Brock coach Tim Arden joins the show. Evan and Dan talk baseball/softball playoffs.

COPPELL — It took two extra innings Thursday, but the Brock baseball team finally got to the Bowie pitching staff, scoring three ninth-inning runs to break a 1-all tie for a 4-1 win in Game 2 of the Region I-3A championship series. 

The victory clinched a series sweep for the Eagles, who punched their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament for the second consecutive year.

Ian Fuchs and Dusty Baker were dominant on the mound, allowing one run on six combined hits and two walks over nine stellar innings, and the Brock offense found its groove late against reliever Kynan Demoss to outlast the Jackrabbits and improve to 35-3 on the year.

COPPELL — Tristan Boedeker was nothing short of dominant on Wednesday, collecting 10 strikeouts during a two-hit shutout to lift the Brock baseball team to a 3-0 win over Bowie in Game 1 of the Region I-3A championship series.

The senior right-hander needed just 98 pitches to dispatch the Jackrabbits, throwing 64 of those for strikes. He walked just two to go with his two hits allowed, never allowing a Bowie baserunner to reach scoring position.

The Eagle lineup, meanwhile, gave its starter all the run support he would need during a two-run first inning, spoiling an otherwise strong outing for Bowie starter Carson Sanders.