Falcons Make History – Tri-TAC Champions

Lulu Brase
Friday night might have had its share of excitement courtesy of afternoon showers pregame, yet the Falcons stole the show to end the night. In an offensive explosion the Falcons mercy ruled conference foe Burlington Christian, grabbing the 13-3 win in just 5 innings to secure their place as the 2022 Tri-TAC Conference Champions.
“To be honest, our goal was never to win the conference,” shared Coach Matt Peal. “At the beginning of the year we committed ourselves to giving a full effort, holding each other accountable, and treating our team as a family. Because we were able to do those things, success in the win column followed.”
 
Success it was – the Falcons came out hot on Friday afternoon putting up a big first inning. Behind strong hit to open the inning, the Falcons loaded the bases allowing the first run to score with a walk by TJ McGraw. A single by Trey Black scored two more runs and then a sacrifice fly from Jacob Shepherd allowed McGraw to tag up for a run.
 
The second inning saw a single by June Thomas for an RBI, a 3-run homer by Jacob Bates and Aaron Pavlovich scoring on a passed ball. Some strong hits and a few errors allowed three runs for Burlington Christian in the top of the 3rd inning. The Falcons answered with a second homerun by Bates scoring two and McGraw scoring on an error.
 
In 4th inning, the Royals presented Bates with an intentional walk; however, Pavlovich followed with a double allowing Max Pashley to score. Bates pitched the entire game allowing three hits and three runs while striking out six. 
 
The Falcons victory gave them sole ownership of the Tri-TAC Conference Championship with a conference record of 6-2. This marks the first time in school history that a Falcon Varsity Baseball team has finished as conference champions – an exciting feat in the School’s 50th year anniversary!
 
Looking back, the season has seen many strong statistical feats including totaling an even 100 hits for the season. Homeruns were seen from Bates, McGraw and Black. Thomas, Bates, McGraw and Black all saw double digit RBIs during the regular season. Pitchers Bates and Thomas saw the most batters in the season with Bates tallying 49 strikeouts and Thomas following with 30. 
 
Team success also saw four Falcons earn a place on the all- conference team – Jacob Bates, TJ McGraw, Will Slagle and June Thomas. Coach Matt Peal was named Tri-TAC Coach of the Year.
 
Although the afternoon was filled with well-deserved celebration, and even a water cooler dump on Coach Matt Peal, the Falcons  set their sights on the NCISAA State Tournament. The Falcons earned a bye for the first round of NCISAA Division 2A play and made history again by making it to the NCISAA second round. The game was played at home against Gaston Day on Thursday, May 12th where they were defeated 9-5. 
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