TITLE DREAMS ALIVE! Ovilla Christian to play for TAPPS D5 state baseball title on Saturday

The Ovilla Christian Eagles will play for a TAPPS Division 5 state baseball title on Saturday following a 4-3 victory Friday against Christian Life Prep.

The Eagles outhit the Knights 9-6 and capitalized on four errors at Clay Gould Ballpark on the University of Texas-Arlington campus.

Ovilla Christian will face (25-3) Sacred Heart-Hallettsville at 9 a.m. Saturday for a chance at glory.

In the state semifinal game, Lucas Seymore (10-1, 1.16 ERA) started on the bump and earned the win for the Eagles. The senior scattered 2 runs on 5 hits over 5.0IP, striking out 3 and walking 3.

Wesley Bryant (1-0, 1.27 ERA) picked up the 2-inning save, allowing 1 earned run on 1 hit and striking out 1.

Bryant induced a weak pop-up for the first out in the top of the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Bryant and the Eagles recorded a double play by gunning down a would-be base stealer at home on a passed ball and then catching a second runner attempting to advance to third.

Nate Nunes (3-4, R), Caleb Bjerke (2-2, SB) and Seymore (2-3, R) all recorded multiple hits for the Eagles.

Outside of a non-district tune-up game ahead of the postseason run, the Eagles have not lost since Feb. 17 and 18 — their first two tournament games of the season. The ballclub then reeled off 18 consecutive victories, including a perfect 12-0 mark in TAPPS Division-5 District-3.

Ovilla Christian previously qualified for the TAPPS Division-5 state tournament in 2013, 2015-19 and 2021. Discounting the COVID-shortened season of 2020, the Eagles have now appeared in eight of the past 10 TAPPS state tournaments.

The most recent miss came in 2022 when the Eagles bowed out to Fort Worth Covenant, 2-1, in the regional championship.