Inheriting a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the bottom of the seventh inning with his team clinging to a narrow 3-2 lead, Abilene High ace Brady Bennett couldn’t have asked for a much more difficult relief assignment Tuesday in the Eagles’ last of three District 4-5A meetings with Wylie.
But after watching teammates Connel Colley and Joseph Flores pitch out of similar jams each of the previous two innings, the AHS right-hander rose to the occasion himself, delivering three strikeouts on just 10 pitches to preserve a dramatic one-run victory over the Bulldogs.
The win, combined with Abilene Cooper’s 10-2 upset of Lubbock Cooper on Tuesday, pulled the Eagles into a three-way tie for first place in the 4-5A standings with LCHS and Wylie, adding a new layer of craziness to an already wild district race.