In Class 6A the Pearland Oilers in the maroon jersey tops were facing the Jaguars of Flower Mound High School in the class 6A State Final at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The Jags got on the board first as the nice sacrifice bunt would plate a run as Oilers pitcher Jaden Barfield races off the mound to make the play at first base to get Zane Becker out as Sam Erickson scores. 10 Jaguars. Cole Ridenour slaps this Barfield pitch up the middle but it’s mishandled allowing a run to score 20 Flower Mound in the first.

Now to the bottom of the second inning. The Oilers would score their first run via a walk as John Moya scores cutting the Jaguars lead to 21. Still in the top of the second and Caden Ferraro grounds this ball to shortstop, but it takes a funny hop and Ferraro shows why it’s important to leg out a grounder. He’s safe at first. No double play and Isaiah Castaneda scores so the game was tied at two. Barfield records a strike out in the third as Zane Becker was caught looking on this pitch.

Still in the third Adrian Rodriguez gets a pitch he likes and he drives it into the berm in left over the wall 42 Flower Mound after three innings of play. The Jaguars who are perennial powers in baseball can swing the bat. Candy Schmidt relieves starter Jaden Barfield and gets a pitcher’s best friend as the ball is grounded towards shortstop and Anthony Avalos makes the grab steps on second then fires to first for the double play to get the speedy Andrew Robinson.

Top of the sixth now at bat for Pearland Jace Caceres who goes yard off Flower Mound middle reliever Mason Arnold. Oilers cut the Jaguars lead to 43.

Pearland still threatening and Damian Landry delivers with a single between shortstop and third. Landry would wind up at second base, since he’s normally the designated runner, but Landry can fly. So with runners on second and third, Nicholas Partida flares this ball to left center, coming on to make the catch is Sam Erickson for the second out, but the runner from third left too soon according to the third base umpire and Erickson fired to third base for the final out of the top of the sixth inning. WOW HUGE MISTAKE.

Nicholas Partida was determined to keep the Oilers in it. Watch this catch in foul territory in the shaded area. GREAT CATCH. Jace Caceras up with the Oilers now down 63 in the seventh trying to rally Pearland. This base hit drives in a run Braeden Morse scores. Oilers down two runs. Brett Smajstrla is walked to load the bases.

Pearland down to their final out. Caden Ferraro hits this ball hard but the first baseman for the Jaguars Cole Ridenour makes an unassisted put out stepping on the first base bag to help guide Flower Mound to a 64 win in the state 6A baseball state championship game, their second in school history with the last coming in 2014, when they were 5A. That’s five straight 6A titles for a Dallas area team and six of the last eight championships since the 6A classification was introduced in 2015. Tough loss for the Oilers in what was a fine season.