Under the bright lights at Dell Diamond, the Smithson Valley baseball team squared off against the Aledo Bearcats in the UIL Class 5A-DI baseball state championship on Friday.
The Rangers’ season, littered with magical moments, ended in disappointment as Aledo claimed the state hardware with an 8-1 triumph.
The Bearcats struck first in the opening frame.
Luke Gladchuk drew a leadoff walk, swiped second, and scored on a Lucas Nawrocki grounder to right for a 1-0 lead.
Smithson Valley’s starter Aiden Verette battled back, throwing his second strikeout of the inning to strand a runner.
The Rangers answered in the bottom half, knotting the score at 1-1 when Bryce Wells laced an RBI single to plate PK Moeller, who had stretched a single into scoring position with heads-up base running.
Aledo’s two miscues in the field — a botched pickoff and a misplayed grounder — helped open the door.
The Rangers’ faithful packed Dell Diamond, but the Bearcats stayed composed.
In the second inning, Aledo capitalized on a pair of Smithson Valley errors to push across another run, taking a 2-1 lead.
Aledo’s ace, Cal State Fullerton commit Devin Miller, settled in, working efficiently.
He froze a Ranger hitter with a backdoor slider to end the third, preserving the one-run edge.
The game’s turning point came in the fifth inning.
Gladchuk ripped a leadoff triple down the right-field line, and when it was Nawrocki’s turn, he hit an RBI triple of his own.
Reliever Cooper Gibson took the hill but surrendered a run, pushing Aledo’s lead to 4-1.
Smithson Valley showed fight in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases via a hit-by-pitch and two singles.
But a disputed interference call at second triggered a double play, deflating the rally and the Rangers’ dugout.
Head coach Chad Koehl argued the call, however it would stand.
Aledo tacked on a run in the sixth with a well-executed hit-and-run, and their three-run seventh — built on a walk, a sac bunt and a two-out double — sealed the deal.
Miller stifled Smithson Valley’s lineup, which managed just one hit after the first inning.
Despite the loss, Smithson Valley’s season was a masterclass in perseverance.
Ending with a 27-13 overall record, the Rangers earned their first state runner-up finish in program history.
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