https://www.wcmessenger.com/articles/injecting-the-energy-fans-help-yellowjackets-finish-the-job-after-grueling-heat/

Boyd junior pitcher Braden McIntire was running on empty as he approached the plate down 7-5 to Maypearl in the seventh inning of the 3A state semifinal June 9 in Round Rock. 

The Yellowjackets were down to their final three outs, and Dell Diamond had turned into an 11,000-seat pressure cooker. The field temperature shot up to 117 degrees. The air was thick and the sun was relentless. In addition to what the team drank from the cooler, five cases of water and Gatorade laid empty in the Yellowjacket dugout. 

“It was like there was no air – there was no wind,” said Boyd coach Brad McIntire. “The heat just felt like it sat on you. It was hard for me to breathe, and I wasn’t even doing that much.”

The first real taste of Texas summer heat came during Boyd’s first appearance at the 3A state tournament, and nobody felt it more than Braden McIntire, whose four innings on the mound and two hits kept his team within striking distance. 

As the big moment arrived, with a swell of support from the Yellowjacket faithful, the at-bat started with a dehydrated and exhausted McIntire stepping to the side to vomit.

There were a few groans as “leaving it all on the field” took a literal turn, but McIntire wiped off his face, stepped back to the plate and cranked a single that sparked Boyd’s eventual 8-7 walk-off win. As third baseman Aidan LeMasters was tackled and body slammed by teammates celebrating his two-run, walk-off hit moments later, Boyd resident Lauren Lambert realized she might be able to help her hometown team in a unique way.

Fans can inject energy into a team, supporting them through the highs and lows of the game. But Lambert injected something more tangible.

Several members of the team experienced dehydration symptoms, with Braden McIntire being helped to the dugout after his seventh-inning hit, eventually being treated by medics at the stadium. 

Lambert, who runs IV Lounge in Boyd as a side business, watched the Yellowjackets’ thrilling comeback online, and figured she should do something.

“It was so hot. Players were throwing up, and you could tell that the fans moved into the covered area,” Lambert said. “When I noticed the kids were getting sick, I was like, ‘Man, they could use some hydration.’”

With Boyd’s state title game against Wall about 20 hours away, Lambert contacted Boyd athletic director Ian Richey, loaded up her car with as many IV bags as she could find and drove south to Round Rock.

“I didn’t want them to go in with the disadvantage of not feeling good,” she said. “I wanted them to play their best and be their best.”

Lambert arrived to the team’s hotel at 5:30 p.m. and went to work, setting up an impromptu treatment station. A line of 10 players, coaches and even a few heat-exhausted parents received the fluids. Lambert ran three bags from an IV pole, at times, hoisting a fourth over her head to treat the team as quickly as possible, counseling some players through their fear of needles .

“I used all of my supply,” Lambert said. “I think I ended up using 15 IV bags.”

Before long, the team began to feel like themselves again, Brad McIntire said. In addition to the fluids, the team loaded up on pasta and fruits and vegetables, as the team bonded over their thrilling win and turned their focus to the biggest game of their lives. 

“I think it made a huge difference,” the coach said.

On Saturday morning, Boyd came out firing. The Yellowjackets raced out to an early lead and never trailed, holding on to a 6-4 win over Wall to cap off its historic run with a state championship.

Lambert was just happy she could help.

“When Eric [Rogers] walked off the pitcher’s mound, he held his head high, and I started crying,” Lambert said. “Morgan Cain, he flew through the air like Superman with that diving catch. It gave me chills.”

Whether it was the fluids running through their veins, or the energy fans brought to Dell Diamond, Boyd’s fans played a crucial role in the program’s success, both on and off the field.