By Max Thompson
sports@ltview.com

Lake Travis pushed its season and Calallen further than it’s ever pushed before, but it wasn’t enough, as the Cavaliers lost the Region IV semifinal in three games in Corpus Christi Saturday.

After dropping game one at home on Friday, 5-3, the Cavaliers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in game two on Saturday in Corpus Christi, and kept tacking on runs for a 7-3 win in front of a packed house at Calallen High School.

But the Wildcats put up four runs in the top of the first inning in the third game, and never looked back, winning easily to take the series, 10-4.

It’s the closest the Cavaliers have ever gotten to a region final in baseball, after getting swept in two games last year by Calallen.

“I told the kids we loved them after the game,” Lake Travis head coach Roy Kinnan said. “We appreciated the seniors who have given us everything, and we’re proud of the kids. We battled, we didn’t quit and kept battling to the end, which is what we always asked them to do.”

In game two, Cohl Walla carried the Cavaliers, ripping a home run and shutting down the Wildcats while on the mound, despite getting into some trouble in the early innings when his control eluded him.

But game three was a different story, as walks and defensive miscues in the first inning dug a hole that would be tough to climb out of against any team, let alone the No. 2 ranked team in 4A.

“It’s frustrating because Calallen was beatable,” Lake Travis pitcher and first baseman Dylan Mendoza said. “We beat them today. But we beat ourselves in the third game, made too many mistakes and I couldn’t believe the umpires we had.”

Much of Lake Travis’ frustration was taken out on the umpires for much of the game, both on the field and in the stands. That frustration built in the first inning when starter Brad Kuntz struggled to find a tight zone, walking four batters and hitting one. That came after the junior lefty had shut down Calallen to close out the second game just 30 minutes before. Naturally, everyone was frustrated, including Kuntz, who didn’t take the loss well afterward.

“In this game, we walked four and hit one in the first inning, and made an error. Then we made a four run error with two outs later in the game. If we just play defense here and there, it may be a 5-4 game going into the seventh inning. That’s the wonderful thing about the game, and the great thing about the game. You make a simple game hard sometimes. The kids fought, we kept coming back and had lots of opportunities to get back in the game,” Kinnan said. “It’s frustrating because avoiding big innings has been a focus all year long, and it’s hard when the pitcher isn’t throwing strikes. It doesn’t matter who it is that isn’t throwing strikes because that happens, but it doesn’t make it less frustrating. It’s been the one thing we’ve stayed away from, but this game was one that we couldn’t stay away from it.”

The loss was tough to take, but there wasn’t a lack of pride in what the team had accomplished, pushing just a bit further in the playoffs than the Cavaliers have ever been.

“We took the next step, we split them and thought we could get to three game because of our pitching,” Kinnan said. “We still had that opportunity, even with the missteps and the walks, we still had an opportunity to win the game. It’s just something else to build on for our program.”

On the other side of the diamond, Calallen showed why it continues to dominate in the playoffs.

“It’s tradition for them. For the last 15 years, they’ve been to something like seven state championships and won three titles, so they come in expecting to win,” Kinnan said. “That’s something our kids are starting to learn and expect, and we expect to be back in this position next year.”

The swagger the Wildcats play with made it a more bitter pill to swallow for Walla.

“I think it’s really frustrating since we lost to them last year, and they’re really confident and cocky. I didn’t feel like the pitcher they were throwing was any good, either. We thought we had a great chance, but we got to that third game and didn’t show up,” he said. “I really thought we were going to have it after Kuntz finished that second game strong, but he just had trouble finding the strike zone. I mean I did it today, too. I hit five batters. It happens.”

Overall, though, Walla was proud of how far the team came this season, and had hope up that they would rally until the seventh inning.

“It’s not negative, I mean, we went far in the playoffs and we beat the No. 2 team in the state. We just had too many errors and walks,” he said. “I always feel like anything’s possible, and we’ve come back from some big deficits, but sitting out in the outfield in the seventh inning, down 10-4 with runners on, I was pretty frustrated.”

Kinnan now parts with one of the most decorated senior classes in school history, including three players – Andy Holt, Mendoza and Walla – that have seen varsity time since they were sophomores. He’s not really happy about that, but he’s proud of what they’ve accomplished.

“They’ve been leaders, had great attitudes, great work ethics and have done all the things you’ve expected them to do as seniors,” he beamed.

It was just as hard to say goodbye for the players themselves.

“We’ll never play as a team like this ever again,” Mendoza said. “We’ll always remember our senior year and growing up together, and watching this end is difficult.”