Flatonia Erupts Early to Defeat Beckville For Second Straight Class 2A Title

ROUND ROCK -- The Beckville Bearcats got off to a great start Thursday morning in the Class 2A state championship game.

Beckville struck for a run in the bottom of the first, but had a chance to get more. As it turned out, missed opportunities became a common theme.

And defending state champion Flatonia took advantage of its chances, and captured its second consecutive title with a 7-1 win before 1,213 fans at Dell Diamond.

Flatonia (29-5) put together consecutive three-run innings in the second and third, while the Bearcats (33-2-1) stranded seven runners through the first three frames and left 12 on base for the game.

"Hats off to Flatonia," Beckville coach Jason Causey said. "They made the plays and we didn't today. We had several opportunities throughout the game, and we were just unable to capitalize, get the big hit, and score some runs."

Flatonia junior left-hander Easton Migl (6-1) won his second game of the state tournament. He allowed a run on four hits with four strikeouts and four walks in five innings against Beckville, a day after pitching four innings of relief in the Bulldogs' semifinal win over Bosqueville.

Migl was voted the championship game's Most Valuable Player.

Flatonia was the first team to defeat the Beckville varsity on the year.

"What they've done the past two years has been outstanding," Causey said of his team. "I think they've won 61 ballgames. Honestly, this is their first loss of the year; a lot of people don't realize that. The other loss we had was with my JV team. So to go 33-0 up to this point … I'm really proud of them."

Four of Flationia's eight hits went for extra bases, including three triples.

Matthew Kozelsky and Blaine Besetzny both tripled and drove in two runs. Casen Novak added an RBI triple, while Braydon Mica went 2-for-3 and scored twice.

Beckville's Braden Wise (9-1) suffered his first loss of the season. The senior left-hander allowed six runs on six hits with a strikeout and two walks in three innings. Trey Lindsay surrendered a run on two hits in four innings of relief.

The top five hitters in the Bearcats' lineup collected a hit, but the 6-9 hitters combined to go 0-for-12.

Beckville's early five-run deficit turned up the pressure on the Bearcats' hitters.

"'Let's keep having good at-bats, and eventually somebody's going to get that big hit,'" Causey said of his team's approach throughout the game. "Usually when that happens we get two or three in a row and get things going."

John Bounds singled home Lindsay in the bottom of the first, but Beckville's lead was short-lived.

Consecutive triples in the top of the second by Koselzky and Novak gave Flatonia a 3-1 advantage. Besetzny had an RBI single, Mica scored on a wild pitch, and Nick Flores executed a suicide squeeze bunt in the Bulldogs' three-run third.

Beckville left the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, and once again in the seventh.

The Bearcats could make a return trip to the state tournament next season. Five sophomores and two juniors were in Beckville's starting lineup Thursday.

"We didn't get the result that we wanted, but it's been great for our kids, great for our parents, great for our community," Causey said. "They'll learn from this, and hopefully (this will) motivate them a little bit to keep working next year, and see if we can get back."