Rabbits fall to Gunter in regional finals

NEVADA, Texas - Atlanta had its opportunities early, but Gunter right-hander Riken Bostick pitched a shutout in Game 2 to help the Tigers sweep the Region II-3A final series.

Bostick scattered seven Rabbit hits, and Gunter won the second game, 6-0, Thursday after an 11-1 victory in Game 1 Wednesday.

Bostick needed 103 pitches to go the distance, struck out two and walked two.

Gunter chased Rabbit stating pitcher Randall Mason in the third and took a 2-0 lead. Mason absorbed the loss, working 2 1-3 innings and allowing two runs on six hits.

Nash Daniel led off with a hit to right, and Garrett Vogel grounded a hit to center. A fielder's choice put runners at the corners with one out, but Cade Dodson singled to right to bring home the first run, bringing Cooper McClure to the mound in place of Mason.

Trey Oblas' sac fly to center made it 2-0 Tigers, and a walk and bunt single loaded the bases before a line out to shortstop ended the rally.

Carter Layton started Gunter's fourth with a single to center, and Daniel followed with a hit to right. Vogel's sac fly to left made it 3-0.

Kaden Rigsby singled before Cade Dodson's two-run double to left field, and Dodson scored on Oblas' double to the wall in right to make it 6-0.

After both teams stranded a runner in scoring position in their half of the first inning, Atlanta (24-11) loaded the bases with two outs in the second. Nick Burden led off with a line drive to center, but he was thrown out attempting to steal second.

Walks to Dex Ebarb and Kale Carpenter were sandwiched around Will Woodruff's sharply-hit single to left, loading the bases for the top of the lineup. A grounder to second stranded the bags juiced to end the inning.

The Tigers (36-8) got runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the second, but a ground ball to second baseman Jackson Warren started a 4-6-3 double play to thwart the threat.

Atlanta also turned an inning-ending double play in the fifth after leadoff man was hit by a pitch and a strikeout for the first out.

Warren took over on the mound the next inning. McClure pitched 2 2-3 innings, giving up four runs on six hits, striking out one, walking one and hitting one, and Warren allowed two hits in his one inning of work.

Warren had a double to lead the Rabbits at the plate.

Gunter advances to the UIL Class 3A state tournament. The state semifinals are scheduled for Friday, June 11 at 9 a.m. and noon at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas.

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