ROUND ROCK, Texas — For the second time, the Abbott Panthers are state champions in baseball.
On Thursday, Abbott beat Fayetteville 6-5 in the UIL Class 1A State Championship Game at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. It was a rematch of the title game when the Panthers last won it in 2017.
Once again, the Panthers opened the scoring, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI base hit from Karsyn Johnson and RBI fielder's choice from Connor Sullins.
Sullins batted in another, on a single, in the top of the third inning. In that frame, Abbott batted, walked and balked in runs to extend their lead to 5-0.
The Lions broke up a no-hit bid from Abbott starter Preston Pustejovsky in the fourth, then scored three runs in the fifth inning to cut the Panther lead to 5-3 with two innings to play.
Hogan Warren gave the Panthers an insurance run in the seventh, although they left an additional one 90 feet away heading to the Lions' final chance.
In the bottom half, with one out in the inning and a runner at first base, Abbott shortstop Riley Sustala committed an error on a potential double-play ball, putting two on with one out. Then, Logan Fritsch hit an RBI single to left field, making it a 6-4 game.
After that, Reid Gross hit a single to center field to make it a 6-5 game with the winning run on base.
Abbott coach Kyle Crawford then put Sustala in to close it out, and he got the final two outs to clinch a stressful state championship for the Panthers.
Pustejovsky was named the game's MVP, after he went 6.1 innings and carried a no-hitter in to the fourth inning and going 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI.
Also on KCENTV.com:
