Not the way we wanted it to end, as the Dragons fall to Midland 3-0 in game two of the Area Round of the 6A D2 playoffs, bringing the season to a close.
Sophomore LHP AJ Bonnette @AjBonnette44 gave up 2R (1 earned) on 6H across 6 innings, striking out 7 in a gutty 115 pitch effort. Offensively, Carroll was limited to 4 baserunners, including singles by Matthew Heredia @MatthewHeredi16 and Caden Mackey @CadenMackey2027.
This one hurts tonight, but the 2026 Dragons will be remembered as a young, resilient team that refused to give up. We will honor the seniors, recognize All-District performers, and other reflections in the coming days.
The future is bright! We are #DragonProud. 💚
@SLCAthletics@Carrollisd@DragonTDClub
The Dragons win the Bi-District series 2 games to 1. We have won 9 of the last 10 and improve to 15-18-1 on the season and will advance to the Area round to play Midland next week! What a series!! @DragonBaseball@DragonTDClub@DrJeremyGlenn@Carrollisd
What a game! Carroll wins its 9th straight to defeat Boswell 2-0 in the bi-district opener.
Sophomore LHP AJ Bonnette @AjBonnette44 threw an 8-inning, complete game shut-out, punching out 1⃣5⃣. He took a perfect game into the 5th and only allowed 3 base-runners, one of which was erased on a caught stealing by Cooper Newby @CooperNewby44.
The game was scoreless at the end of regulation, before Shawn Arterburn @ShawnArterburn executed a perfect slash play in the top of the 8th to drive in the Dragons' only runs and provide the final margin.
Bonnette's final line, 8IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 1HBP, 15K on 112 pitches.
In addition to Arterburn's clutch game-winning hit, Newby doubled and Dane Thornton @GameDane_ tripled to pace the offense.
The teams are scheduled to meet again tomorrow night, weather permitting, at Dragon Ballpark.
Southlake Carroll lost 7 of 8 District 4-6A games. A playoff streak that started in 1999 was in serious jeopardy.
But the Dragons won 7 consecutive 4-6A games, keeping hope alive. I took a look at how a bunch of sophomores turned things around. FEATURE: https://t.co/0q51ykbw3t
Sophomore LHP AJ Bonnette @AjBonnette44 threw 6 shutout innings, striking out 7, and also collected a pair of singles and a walk at the plate, to lead Carroll to an 8-0 win over LD Bell.
Camden Dean @cd33lefty led off the game with a triple and scored on a groundout by Dane Thornton @GameDane_ to give the Dragons an early lead they would not relinquish. Dean was 2-for-2, walked twice, and scored 3x. Matthew Heredia @MatthewHeredi16 drove in 4 RBI's.
First baseman Bo Kuhn @bokuhn31 turned a critical double play in the 4th to eliminate a Raider threat. Gavin Morris @Gmorris2028 retired the side in the 7th to finish things off.
The Dragons have now won 4 straight and will look to complete the sweep tomorrow at Dragon Ballpark.
Carroll picked up a big district win on Friday afternoon, defeating Eaton 3-1 in a game postponed by a power outage.
A pair of sophomore lefties got it done on the mound. Camden Dean @cd33lefty started on Thursday and got the first 9 outs, giving up 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 2. On Friday, AJ Bonnette @AjBonnette44 picked up where Cam left off, giving up a lone 1 run in 4 innings, striking out 3.
Dean (2-for-3, 3B, RBI) and Bonnette (1-for-1) both contributed at the plate as well. Junior catcher Cooper Newby @CooperNewby44 tripled and was HBP. Matthew Heredia @MatthewHeredi16 doubled.
The Dragons will play for the 3rd straight day as they host Justin Northwest at Dragon Ballpark. First pitch, 1:00.
Here’s a look at AJ Bonnette (@AjBonnette44) on the mound. The LHP was dominant over 6 innings of work not allowing a single earned run on 2 hits and 5 K’s.
FB: 85-87
CH: 79-80
CB: 74-76
@DragonBaseball (TX) 2028 #uncommitted#FiveToolFestival
Profile: https://t.co/F4wDjsuxHR
Here’s a look at AJ Bonnette (@AjBonnette44) on the mound. The LHP was dominant over 6 innings of work not allowing a single earned run on 2 hits and 5 K’s.
FB: 85-87
CH: 79-80
CB: 74-76
@DragonBaseball (TX) 2028 #uncommitted#FiveToolFestival
Profile: https://t.co/F4wDjsuxHR
Carroll had the #1 team in the state, #4 nationally, down to their final out in the top of the 7th but ended up falling 10-2 to Houston Memorial in extras.
Sophomore LHP AJ Bonnette @AjBonnette44 matched Oklahoma State commit Cash Scarborough stride for stride, with a 6 inning, 94-pitch, 2 hit, 1 run gem, punching out 5 in a no decision. Scarborough went 5 innings, also allowing 1 run on 2 hits, with 13 K's.
Memorial got on the board with an unearned run in the 1st, and it stayed 1-0 until the 5th, when Shawn Arterburn @ShawnArterburn led off with a single and scored on a 2-out double by Dane Thornton @GameDane_ to tie it.
The Dragons took the lead in the 6th when Camden Dean @cd33lefty singled and scored on Cooper Newby's @CooperNewby44 double and were one out away from their second straight top 25 win, before Memorial tied it on a walk, a passed ball, and a single.
Carroll was retired in order in the bottom of the 7th and the Mustangs put up 8 runs in the top of the 8th to secure the victory.
In an epic pitcher's duel that included a combined 29 strikeouts by the two pitching staffs, Carroll fell 2-1 to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, CA) in the season opener.
Sophomore AJ Bonnette @AjBonnette44 got the start for the Dragons and threw 4 strong shutout innings, punching out 8.
Carroll took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 4th when Matthew Heredia @MatthewHeredi16 smoked a 2-out triple and scored on an RBI single by Shawn Arterburn @ShawnArterburn.
Knights pitchers Beckett Berg (committed to Texas), JuJu Diaz-Jones (Cal Berkeley), and AJ LaSota (Virginia) combined to hold the Dragons to just two hits.
Dragon hurlers Bonnett, Brenden Kim, Luke Cerone, and Camden Dean returned the favor, allowing just two hits and striking out 11, but two unearned runs in the bottom of the 7th allowed the Knights to pull out the victory.
Southlake Carroll picks up a shutout victory over Plano East, 7-0, at Globe Life 🏟️
LHP's Caden Mackey @CadenMackey2027 and AJ Bonnette @AjBonnette44 each struck out 6 over a combined 5 1/3.
Sophomores Cam Dean @cd33lefty (3B) and Dane Thornton @GameDane_ (2B) with XBH's. Jack Beers was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Catcher Cooper Newby @CooperNewby44 with a pair of knocks and hosed a runner at second. Beers and John Rivers swiped 2 bases each.
Strong outing of relief from AJ Bonnette (@AjBonnette44) in front of @FiveToolTexas. The LHP recorded six strikeouts through 2.1 IP, allowed no runs and was up to 90 MPH.
FB: 87-89, 90
CB: 76-78
CH: 78
@PocketRadar Five Tool #90Club@DragonBaseball (TX) 2028 #uncommitted
Profile: https://t.co/sCJAFmlBMt