DALLAS, TX -- The Bishop Lynch baseball team season ended in extra innings last night to the top-seed Concordia Lutheran 3-2. After dropping the first game 11-1, the Friars battled hard in the second game but couldn't hold off the 34-2 Crusaders.

In the must-win game two of the series, Brandon Bertsch took the mound for the Friars. The senior pitched one heck of a game and went 7.1 innings, only allowing four hits and giving up three runs while striking out four.

The Friars held a one-run lead going into both the bottom of the seventh and the bottom of the eighth. They took their first lead in the top of the sixth when Alex Peredo hit a screaming line drive up the middle to score Luke Sokolovic to make it 1-0. Sokolovic was on third when he opened up the inning with a triple.

The second time the Friars took the lead was in extra innings in the top of the eighth. Grayson Wise opened up the inning with a single and was later moved to third when Ryder Bunfill hit a single. With two outs, the tandem of Bunfill and Wise had a double steal which resulted in Wise sliding into home and getting under the tag to give BL a 2-1 lead.

Eventually, Concordia would tie it up in the bottom of the eighth which forced Bertsch to exit the game with the bases loaded. Concordia eventually won the game with a walk-off walk and the Friar season was over in heartbreak.

Though the 2022-23 season for Bishop Lynch didn't end with a state championship, the student-athletes and coaches on the team rewrote the BLHS history books. Their 29 wins throughout the season is a school record that they will be able to hold onto.

BL wants to thank Concordia Lutheran for their sportsmanship throughout both games, specifically when Brandon Bertsch was taken out of the game. Both teams got out of their dugouts to give him a big round of applause and the announcer gave the senior a shout-out as they knew he battled on the mound and it was the last time he would be on the bump for BL.

With only four (very important) seniors - Brandon Bertsch, Brady Bertsch, Ryder Bunfill and Josh Thornhill - graduating this season, the baseball team looks forward to going further next season.

Congratulations to the entire BL baseball program, student-athletes, coaches, families and fans on a fantastic 2022-23 season.

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