Lake Travis gets sweep against Westlake
Cavs endure delay, take a big step in 26-6A race
It might strike one as odd that a team is used to the lights going off in the seventh inning of a game, but that’s the case with Lake Travis.
For the second time in 11 days, the Cavs dealt with a delay Tuesday thanks to a timer automatically turning the stadium lights off.
When they came back on a few minutes later, Lake Travis shortly turned off the lights on its rival.
The Cavs completed a District 26-6A sweep of Westlake with a 7-4 win at Westlake High School, taking a second win in the “Battle of the Lakes” on backto-back nights following their 3-1 win Monday.
“It’s a great thing to get the sweep,” said Lake Travis catcher Gavyn Schlotterback, who had a key two-run single in the second inning. “They swept us last year, so it was good to answer back, and it sets the tone for the rest of the season. They’ve been ranked ahead of us for most of the year (in the state rankings), and we took that as a bit of disrespect.”
Improving to 5-0 in district play, Lake Travis (15-4-1) took the first major step in a race that includes a loaded field of Bowie, Dripping Springs, Johnson and Anderson in addition to itself and the Chaps.
“The way the kids have played and responded this year — they’re growing up before our eyes,” Cavs coach Ryan Rogers said.
“We lost a lot of guys from last spring, and these guys have stepped up. We talk about playing in the moment, and they’ve seized the moment and executed at a high level, so it’s good to see them get rewarded for that.”
After the lights returned and with the Chaps having runners on first and second with no outs, Gavin McCullough came on and earned the save for the second straight night. Following a good five innings by Kadyn Leon on Monday, he finished good three-inning showings from both David Womack and CJ Hansford Tuesday.
“Feels amazing to get these saves — especially when it comes against your district rival,” McCullough said. “It’s always really fun to beat those guys. The slider was working well the past two nights, and I felt like I could throw all of my pitches well in the zone.”
Lake Travis pushed across five runs in the second inning as it took advantage of three walks and a hit batter.
Wyatt Gatlin and Maddox Medrano had RBI groundouts, with Schlotterback producing the only hit of the inning with two outs.
Westlake answered with two runs in the bottom of the second and another in the third, but Gatlin ripped an RBI single in the fifth and Medrano singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to push the Cavs’ lead to 7-3.
Jack Casteel went 3-for-4 with a double and both Theo Gillen and Sage Sanders had two hits for Westlake (11-6-1).
Reid Kilgo also had a hit for Lake Travis, which may not have the high-profile Division I signees of some of its past versions but seems to be just as effective.
“I like our competitiveness and our brotherhood,” Schlotterback said. “We’ve grinded since all the way back to August and been together since day one. A few of these guys I’ve grown up playing with, so getting to play on the same field with them means a lot.”