Konvicka Hurls No-Hitter as Fayetteville Beats Round Top-Carmine in the Regional Semifinals
Fayetteville pitcher Chance Konvicka came within one out of a perfect game as the Lions beat Round Top-Carmine 10-0 Wednesday in a one-game winner-take-all regional semifinal game in Navasota.
Konvicka held on to preserve the no-hitter and it was also his bases-loaded double that broke open a scoreless game.
For Konvicka, it was his third consecutive no-hitter against the Cubs. He blanked them in a playoff game last year, April 24 during the regular season this year and again Wednesday.
“They are our neighborhood rivals. The energy is there every time we play them. I like to pitch in situations like that,” Konvicka said.
“His ball moves so much,” said Fayetteville head coach Clint Jaeger of his sophomore hurler. “With him, it’s always been about throwing strikes. If he does, he’s tough.”
Wednesday’s win improves Fayetteville’s record to 17-6 overall and they advance to the regional finals where they will play the winner of the D’Hanis/Pettus winner next week in the regional finals.
A potential Fayetteville/ D’Hanis matchup would be a rematch of last year’s regional finals lost by the Lions. Those two squads have matched up several times in the regional finals over the last several years.
“Against them, one or two plays may decide it,” Jaeger said of a potential D’Hanis match-up. “Which team makes the fewest mistakes. Whose pitchers can throw strikes.”
Wednesday’s loss ends what was a strong season for the Cubs (8-11) as they won a tiebreaker with Richards just to get in the playoffs and then marched past High Island and Leakey in the first two rounds to get to Wednesday’s matchup.
“I’m proud of our team, the way we competed all year long,” said coach Brock Marburger. “We fought all the way to the regional semifinals and just ran into a good Fayetteville team. Tanner Schobel, through the first three innings, pitched really good. I know we’re disappointed now, but making it to the regional semifinals is a successful season.”
Wednesday’s game was scoreless as RT-C’s starting pitcher Tanner Schobel matched Konvicka zero for zero early.
The game was 0-0 going into the top of the fourth inning when the Lions loaded the bases as Logan Fritsch reached on an error, Travis Gully walked and Reid Gross reached on an infield single. With one out, Konvicka launched a double to rightcenter that scored three.
“He threw it right down the middle and I just cranked it,” Konvicka said.
Fayetteville would end up sending 10 batters to the plate that inning, ending Schobel’s night on the mound and taking a 6-0 lead in that frame. Jack Schley had a two-run single in that inning as well.
In the fifth, Fayetteville scored four runs off RT-C re-liever Kannyn Goehring, with Gross hitting an RBI-single and Keagan Supak hitting an RBI double.
Then all that was left was for Konvicka to finish it off in the bottom of the fifth. He quickly got the first two outs, and was one out away from that perfect game when freshman Carter Marburger made contact and reached on a Lions error as their only baserunner of the game.
But Konvicka got the next out on a comebacker to end the game. He ended up striking out eight.
The win will make for an extra festive graduation Friday for the Lions five seniors (Logan Fritsch, Parker Vitek, Travis Gully, Karson Corn and Ty Knight) before it’s back to work getting ready for the regional finals.