Fulshear blanked in one-and-done to La Porte

Despite early difficulties, District 20-5A Co-MVP Schumann kept the Chargers in contention. La Porte threatened with runners in scoring position during the second and third innings but failed to capitalize until the pivotal moment.

In the fifth inning, a throwing error by Fulshear’s shortstop Mason Schultz, while first baseman Lane Arroyos attempted a diving catch, allowed Landon Kay to reach base. Coach Jensen voiced his disagreement with the call, as it led to Jarrett Browning scoring, giving La Porte a 1-0 lead.

“We had some tough luck in the fifth inning when Arroyos made a tremendous effort, but unfortunately, the throw was off,” Jensen expressed. “I believed Arroyos stayed on the bag, and his animated response indicated he thought he was out. The umpires saw it differently, and it ultimately made the difference in the game.”

Browning accounted for two of La Porte’s five hits. Later in the same inning, a dropped third strike by Fulshear catcher Travis Reid, which would have ended the inning, allowed another La Porte runner to score.

Those two runs proved sufficient for the Bulldogs to eliminate the Chargers from the postseason.

In his final game as a Charger, Schumann pitched four innings, conceding five hits and one earned run, striking out two batters and walking one. Regan Carter provided excellent relief pitching, throwing 2.2 scoreless innings without allowing a hit and striking out three.

Fulshear managed only two hits, courtesy of Caven Fuentes in the second inning and Patrick Hodges in the fifth.

The Bulldogs advance to face Lake Creek in a one-game eliminator in the regional semifinals on Thursday, creating a bitter pill for the Chargers to swallow.

“Our goal every year is to make the playoffs with a trip to Round Rock as the ultimate goal,” Jensen said. “It’s a difficult process and you have to have a little luck along the way. We were unlucky in that La Porte wanted a one-game series and we lost the coin flip.”

With a District 20-5A title and their first trip to the regional quarterfinals since 2019, the Chargers finish the 2023 season with a 26-10-1 record.

Key contributors like Collin Cobb, Schumann, Arroyos and Zach Nicholson will be lost to graduation, but Jensen remains confident that the returning players will uphold the Chargers’ winning tradition.

“We do lose a lot next year with this talented group of seniors, but we had a good nucleus of younger players and two good sub-varsity teams to blend together for yet another exciting season next year,” Jensen said.