Beckville Advances to State Title Game With Semifinal Shutout

ROUND ROCK — The Beckville Bearcats are one win from completing a journey that began two seasons ago.

Thanks to its 4-0 semifinal win over Brock on Friday afternoon at Dell Diamond, Beckville will have the chance to claim its first-ever state championship in baseball.

Beckville (35-4), which fell in the title game in 2016, will face Clifton (30-6-1) at 9 a.m. Saturday morning for the Class 3A championship.

“Two years ago our nerves got the best of us in the championship game, but we’ve been here before and we’re ready to go tomorrow morning and bring a state championship back to East Texas,” said Beckville Trey Lindsay, one of 10 seniors, many of whom were on that Bearcats' state finalist squad.

Lindsay and Austin Bryan combined on the eight-hit shutout for Beckville. Lindsay (11-2) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. Bryan got the last five outs for the save, standing the bases loaded in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Brock left 12 runners on base for the day.

“They’re not a bunch of free swingers, they did a good job of not swinging at everything,” said Beckville coach Jason Causey of Brock. “They really made him work a little bit. Whenever it counted and when he needed to he was able to get out of jams. Austin Bryan really did an awesome job coming in there in two tight spots to finish it.”

Lindsay issued his second walk of the sixth inning with one out, giving way to Bryan. Brock (31-5-1) pinch-hitter Cooper Allen worked a full-count to load the bases, but Bryan retired Tripp Jones and Noah Nye on strikes.

In the seventh, Cole Lightfoot singled with one out, Cooper Nelson was hit by a pitch and Jackson Hardison walked with two outs. But Bryan got Parker Bounds swinging to end the game.

“It’s an awesome feeling, I’m just so proud of our guys, proud of our community and fans,” Causey said. “It’s been a great run. I’ve got 10 seniors and what a way to go out, you can’t ask for anything else, playing for a state championship.”

Beckville broke open a 1-0 game with three runs in the fifth.

With one out, Michael Mize tripled to right-center, Ben Bridges was intentionally walked, and Ethan Harris ripped an RBI single to left. After a strikeout, Clayton Burnett delivered the biggest hit of the game, a two-run double to the wall in left-center off Brock starting pitcher Jase Lopez (10-1).

“(Lopez) was pretty good, he did a really good job on the mound of limiting us, but that’s what happens when you see people’s No. 1’s,” Causey said. “Usually for us the third time through the order is when we break through, and we were able to do that there in that one inning.”

Beckville struck in the first inning when Bridges smoked a triple that one-hopped the wall in deep left field, scoring Mize, who was hit by a pitch with one out.

And just like that, any pre-game jitters Beckville may have been experiencing subsided.

“We came to the ballpark last night and kinda got the surrealness out of the way,” Causey said. “Today when we showed up I could tell it was more business for them. With that being said we have to retain that same focus tomorrow. We’ve been in this same situation before and didn’t handle it very well.”