Stellar 'Stangs: Grapevine repeats, wins Texas Class 5A DII state championship: live scoring, highlights, recap

Senior Benjamin Chen wins MVP, Mustangs slug 14 hits and repeat in Class 5A with thrilling win over Humble Kingwood Park

Levi Payton | Jun 6, 2025

Junior Lale Esquivel had two hits as Grapevine went back-to-back, beating Kingwood Park 9-5 to win the Class 5A Division II state championship on Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. / Robbie Rakestraw

How much will the experience factor play into this one? At around 4 p.m. on Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, we're going to find out.

Grapevine, the defending 5A state champ, enters the championship sporting a 35-3 record and enters with a playoff resume that includes five shutouts and wins over 2024 finalist Lucas Lovejoy and a talented Lubbock-Cooper team.

Grapevine is loaded with talented arms, headed by freshman ace Luke Esquivel - one of the top freshmen in the nation - and veteran arms like Benjamin Chen and junior Lale Esquivel behind him, and the Mustangs hope to ride those arms to their third state title since 2016.

Humble Kingwood Park, which opened the year with a 2-3-1 mark, has won 32 of its last 38 and brings a balanced lineup that found its stride in the playoffs. In just their second state tournament appearance, the Panthers earned their finals berth with a comeback series win over Liberty Hill in the semifinals. Behind a deep mix of arms and a batting order that has most regulars hitting over .300, they’ve shown the ability to win games a variety of ways.

In the end, the game could come down to which team handles the spotlight the best.

Friday’s 4 p.m. first pitch at Dell Diamond could be a bit delayed, as most games in the tournament this week have been. Bookmark this page and check back often, as we will post live scoring, highlights and updates once the game begins as they happen in the expandable space below. Also, be sure to share this page on social media.

You can also watch the game (fee required) on NFHS Network.

Follow High School on SI – Texas for continuing coverage from the state championships throughout the weekend, including live updates, important highlights and stats from every UIL baseball state final.

Humble Kingwood Park vs. Grapevine: Texas Class 5A Division II state championship: live scoring, highlights, recap

Lineups

Grapevine

Luke Esquivel, P; Zack Goldstein, CF; Jarett Boswell, 1B; Lale Esquivel, 3B; Gianni Corral, C; Colin Park, 2B; Thomas Powers, DH; Connor Ray, SS; Brady Boozer, RF; Derek Duong, LF.

Humble Kingwood Park

Blake Heckman, CF; Kevin Rios, SS; Nathan Eveler, C; Griffin Resendez, DH; Aden Murray, P; Nicholas Slonaker, 2B; Tanner Gillean, 1B; Ethan Brain, 3B; Logan Bear, LF; Evan Carswell, RF.

First pitch is about to happen. We had a delay of about 35 minutes while they prepared the field after the Calallen game ended.

Top 1: Grapevine 0, Humble Kingwood Park 0

The second batter of the game, Zack Goldstein, got hit in the lower leg with a pitch and Grapevine boasted the first runner of the ballgame.

With two outs, Kingwood Park pitcher Aden Murray plunked his second batter of the game to put runners at second and third.

RUN(s) - The hit batters came back to bite Kingwood Park, as Gianni Corral singled back up the middle on a 3-2 pitch to drive in Goldstein, making it 1-0. The hit left the Mustangs with runners at second and third with 2 outs.

It wasn't a pretty inning, but Murray escaped with a grounder and limited the damage to a run.

Bottom 1: Grapevine 1, Kingwood Park 0

Grapevine's elite freshman southpaw, Luke Esquivel, gets a strikeout against the first batter he faced in a state championship game.

Esquivel hit Kevin Rios on a 3-1 pitch and Kingwood Park had its first baserunner two batters into the game. A four-pitch walk ensued to Nathan Eveler and Griffin Resendez pulled a 1-out single into left to load the bases.

RUN(s) - Aden Murray helped himself, grounding into a fielder's choice to score Rios, tying the game 1-1.

Something big to watch here: Kingwood Park starting pitcher Aden Murray hit a light tapper on the play, then pulled up halfway to first grabbing toward his right hamstring. Kingwood Park gets a run, but at what cost?

RUN(s) - Nicholas Slonaker singled to right with 2 outs, and the Panthers grabbed their first lead of the game, 2-1.

Esquivel ended the inning the same way it began, with a strikeout, and the inning is over.

Top 2: Kingwood Park 2, Grapevine 1

Good news for Panthers fans: Aden Murray is back on the mound to start the second inning after pulling up and grabbing at his leg in the first inning.

Connor Ray poked a looping single into center and went to second base on a wild pitch with 1 out. Brady Boozer followed with an infield single to second (the ball was hit up the middle and Kingwood Park second baseman Nicholas Slonaker had to field it nearly behind second base and throw back across his body) to put runners on the corners.

RUN(s) - Luke Esquivel helped himself, lining a single into center to score Ray, tying the game 2-2. Runners moved up to second and third on the play.

RUN(s) - Zack Goldstein singled to left to drive in the go-ahead run. Grapevine leads 3-2.

PITCHING CHANGE: Aden Murray's day is done on the mound with 1 out and runners on the corners in the top of the second. Righthander Landon Coburn is on to pitch for Kingwood Park.

RUN(s) - Jarett Boswell gets Kingwood's fifth hit in a row. The RBI single drove home a run to make it 4-2.

BIG PLAY! Grapevine ended up with six consecutive singles - as Lale Esquivel hit one to load the bases with 1 out - but Landon Coburn got Gianni Corral to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and thwart the threat.

Bottom 2: Grapevine 4, Kingwood Park 2

BIG PLAY! After a leadoff walk, freshman Luke Esquivel atoned for it with a highlight-reel catch for the ages. He snagged a screaming liner back to the mound that he somehow caught. It knocked him on his backside on the mound. While lying on his back, he snapped a throw to first to double off the runner. What a play. It emptied the bases and changed the complexion of the inning.

Smooth lineout double play from freshman Luke Esquivel (@Grapevine_HS) in the 5A-D2 #UILState championship game! 🔥⚾️

🎥: @NFHSNetwork pic.twitter.com/g5xCVWLSwK
— Texas UIL (@uiltexas) June 6, 2025

Esquivel's catch played more of a factor after two walks and a single loaded the bases for Kingwood Park with two outs. It makes you wonder how much the liner back to the mound could've rattled the freshman a bit.

RUN(s) - Griffin Resendez picked up his second hit of the game, a 2-run single with two strikes against him tied the game 4-4 and kept the 2-out rally going.

Grapevine barely escaped the rally with a fielder's choice out at second base. It was a close play at the bag, but they get the out and kept the score tied.

Top 3: Grapevine 4, Kingwood Park 4

Coburn worked around a 1-out walk by coaxing a double play to end the 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom 3: Grapevine 4, Kingwood Park 4

Luke Esquivel plunked Nicholas Slonaker with the first pitch in the bottom of the third, and it was his last pitch of the day. Righthander Benjamin Chen was summoned from the bullpen with a runner at first base and nobody out.

Tanner Gillean ambushed the first pitch Chen offered and singled into center.

RUN(s) - Logan Bear was hit by a pitch to load the bases and then Blake Heckman grounded into a fielder's choice - beating the relay throw to first on a double-play attempt - to keep the inning going. Slonaker scored to break the tie and give Kingwood Park a 5-4 lead.

Chen got Kevin Rios to pop out into shallow right field to end the frame.

Top 4: Kingwood Park 5, Grapevine 4

On the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth, Brady Boozer lined a double up the line in right field. Luke Esquivel followed with his second hit to put runners at the corners with nobody out.

RUN(s) - Zack Goldstein lifted a sacrifice fly into center. Boozer tagged and scored to tie it 5-5.

Jarett Boswell singled and Lale Esquivel moved the runners to second and third on a chopper back to Coburn.

RUN(s) - Gianni Corral put Grapevine back in front, scoring Luke Esquivel on an RBI single to make it 6-5.

RUN(s) - Grapevine pulls off a successful double steal. Corral took off to steal second and drew a throw. Boswell broke for home on the throw and stole home, and some extra insurance, making it 7-5.

Bottom 4: Grapevine 7, Kingwood Park 5

Chen worked a quick 1-2-3 inning for the Mustangs - getting a fly ball to left and two grounders to end the frame.

Top 5: Grapevine 7, Kingwood Park 5

Coburn flew through the fifth inning on four pitches.

Bottom 5: Grapevine 7, Kingwood Park 5

Following a strikeout to open the inning, Chen hit Tanner Gillean with a 1-out pitch and walked Ethan Brain to put the tying run on base.

BIG PLAY! Kingwood Park attempts a double steal with runners at first and second and 1 out, but Gianni Corral throws out Gillean at third for the second out. It was a huge out, as Chen walked Logan Bear. It would have loaded the bases. Instead they got first and third with two away.

Bear stole second with two outs and Blake Heckman walked to load the bases.

BIG PLAY! Chen got a groundout to shortstop to end the threat and strand the bases loaded. The caught stealing at third earlier in the inning proved huge, and the throw by Grapevine shortstop Connor Ray on a tough play just beat the runner at first and saved a run.

Top 6: Grapevine 7, Kingwood Park 5

The Mustangs wasted a 2-out walk and a single by Lale Esquivel when Coburn escaped with a fielder's choice.

Bottom 6: Grapevine 7, Kingwood Park 5

The Panthers got their own 2-out rally going on a walk and a hit batter to put runners on first and second.

BIG PLAY! Nicholas Slonaker is caught stealing second for the final out of the inning. Grapevine escapes the frame with its 7-5 lead intact. A pitch in the dirt got away from Gianni Corral a bit, but he got to the ball in a hurry and threw a dart to second to nab Slonaker, the trail runner on the play.

Top 7: Grapevine 7, Kingwood Park 5

Benjamin Park led off the inning with a single.

RUN(s) - With one out in the inning, Connor Ray went the other way and hit an RBI single into left. Grapevine got some insurance and leads 8-5.

RUN(s) - Connor Ray scored on a wild pitch. 9-5.

Bottom 7: Grapevine 9, Kingwood Park 5

Tanner Gillean got hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. It's the second time he's been hit by a pitch today. There have been six different batters hit by pitches in this game.

Benjamin Chen's day on the mound is done after hitting Gillean. Sam DuRard is in to close it out for Grapevine with one-on, nobody out.

Logan Bear singled to center with 1 out, and he and Gillean advanced an extra base on an error by the outfielder. It was the first error of the game. Grapevine's insurance runs in the seventh are looming large.

END OF GAME! DuRard struck out Rios and Grapevine goes back-to-back as state champions.

Final: Grapevine 9, Kingwood Park 5

Benjamin Chen was named Class 5 District II finals MVP after pitching the Mustangs out of a jam and then firing 4 scoreless innings in relief. He walked four and struck out 1 but only allowed 1 hit and had a hit at the plate.

Luke Esquivel, Jarett Boswell, Lale Esquivel, Gianni Corral, Connor Ray and Brady Boozer each had two hits for the Mustangs. Corral led the team with 2 RBI.