(Marion, Hallettsville) – Marion will compete in the fourth round of the UIL baseball playoffs for the first time since 2013 after sweeping Hallettsville with a 3-0 shutout in Marion on Thursday and a 4-2 clincher on the Brahmas’ home field Friday in the 3A Region IV quarterfinals.
Konner Harborth turned in a dominant effort on the mound to keep Hallettsville scoreless in the series opener on Thursday. Harborth worked around five hits and three walks to strike out seven in seven shutout innings.
Jayden Williams ripped an RBI triple to drive in Chance Lowery, and Williams scored on a groundout by Ty Blake to put the Bulldogs up 2-0 in the bottom of the second.
Kallen Bek’s RBI groundout plated Cameron Baumann in the fifth to generate the final cushion.
Williams, Lowery, and Ryken Autry each went 2-3 at the plate. Bryce Gonyer went 1-2.
The Brahmas led Friday’s game 2-1 after four innings, but Marion tied it up in the fifth when Lane Pawelek came home on a sacrifice fly by Logan Ross.
Ryken Autry and Kallen Bek both walked with the bases loaded to drive in Chase Hallmark and Gonyer for the go-ahead runs in the top of the seventh. Chris Mott and Gonyer strung together consecutive singles to start the frame, and Hallmark was running for Mott when he scored.
Gonyer kept Hallettsville scoreless in the bottom of the seventh to close out a relief win. He struck out three, walked one, and didn’t surrender any runs or hits in 1-2/3 innings.
Williams started and took no decision after 5-1/3 strong innings. He limited the Brahmas to two runs (one earned) on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Lowery finished 2-3 in Game 2, and Bek recorded two RBIs. Pawelek had a base hit and two runs scored.
Marion (27-7) faces either Corpus Christi-London or Hebbronville in the regional semifinals next week. London led the series 1-0 after a 2-0 win on Friday at press time.