Photo by Stewart Johnson / Snapped Dragons
Carroll is playing its best baseball at the right time.
The Dragons punched their ticket to the next round of the UIL 6A Division II playoffs with a series win over Boswell, taking two of three games and closing things out with a dominant 3-0 victory in Game 3. The result extends a red-hot stretch for Carroll, which has now won 10 of its last 11 games entering the Area Round.
Every Dragon hitter reached base in Game 3, but the night undoubtedly belonged to the pitching staff.
Left-hander Jackson Smith and right-hander Gavin Morris combined for a no-hitter in the clincher, with Smith setting the tone across five hitless innings. Smith struck out six and consistently kept Boswell off balance, mixing a fastball with strong arm-side run and a changeup he leaned on in all counts. Morris then slammed the door, tossing two no-hit innings with a pair of strikeouts to secure the combined no-no and send the Dragons through.
Offensively, Carroll delivered a complete effort with eight players combining for 10 hits. Bo Kuhn and Camden Dean led the way with two singles apiece, while the Dragons also applied pressure on the basepaths with five stolen bases.
The breakthrough came early. Kuhn drove in Dane Thornton in the second inning after Thornton led off with a single and stole second. Carroll added two more runs in the third behind contributions from Shawn Arterburn, Matthew Heredia and Gavin Strange, giving the pitching staff all the support it would need.
With the series win, Carroll advances to the Area Round against the Midland High Bulldogs. Midland enters the matchup at 28-5 overall after sweeping El Paso Eastwood in the opening round and finishing 13-2 in District 2-6A play.
The best-of-three series is set for Rocker B. Ranch in Graford, with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m., Game 2 on Friday at noon, and a Game 3 to follow if necessary.