Sharyland loses to Lovejoy in state championship

The Sharyland Rattlers put it all on the field this season as they made the trek to the Texas UIL 5A Division II state championship game for baseball.

The team from Mission, however, fell short, 7-2, against the Lovejoy Leopards on Saturday at Dell Diamond field in Round Rock.

Initially, the game was to be played this past Friday but due to rain conditions, it was moved to a 9 a.m. slot.

The Rattlers, despite proving they can rally their squad from deficits, were unable to do so in the single-game championship elimination against the Leopards.

The squad from Lovejoy were quick to the punch as they put up three runs in the first inning to put the Rattlers in an early hole — which, no one wants to be in, especially during the playoffs.

In the second inning, Diego Chapa was able to earn an RBI single to cut into the deficit, but the Leopards were able to tame the Rattlers out of any offense after that.

It was 3-1, Lovejoy leading, going into the bottom of the fourth after holding off the Rattlers of any firepower.

Lovejoy capitalized off of a Sharyland error and a few wild pitches to bring in two runs to make it 5-1. Sharyland had three errors on the night.

To add to the lead, the Leopards were able to gain another run in the fifth. The Rattlers answered back with a run of their own at the top of the sixth after a RBI double from freshman IJ Garza.

However, during their atbat during the bottom of the sixth, the Leopards tacked on another run to ultimately win the game, 7-2.

The Lovejoy Leopards with the win, earn their first state championship in program history. This was the second trip to the state title game for the Leopards as their first chance at the championship was back in their 2024 campaign.

Lovejoy, for those who aren’t aware is located in Lucas — which is roughly 25 miles north of Dallas.

The Leopards finish the season 34-6-1, while finishing a perfect 14-0 in District 9-5A. As for the Rattlers, they finish the year off at 38-6, with a 15-1 record in 31-5A. The only loss in district was back in March against crosstown rival, Sharyland Pioneer.

As previously reported by The Advance, the Sharyland Rattlers are the fifth team in Rio Grande Valley baseball history to make it to the state championship game.

The most recent team to make it to the big game was the Harlingen South Hawks back in 2007. They lost the title game, 6-1, to Cy-Fair.

Before the Hawks, Mercedes made it twice back in 1986 and 1974.

The first team to ever make history for the region was Brownsville High in 1965.