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LINK … GAME STORY: No. 6 Lubbock Cooper rallies past 12th-ranked Wylie to sweep season series
LUBBOCK — The Cooper softball team bounced back from a rough 23-1 loss to Lubbock Monterey on Tuesday with an 18-6 win at Lubbock High on Friday, improving to 17-8 on the season and 5-3 in District 4-5A play.
The Lady Cougars pounded out 15 hits, including home runs by Angelina Arriaga, Kaleigha Kemp and Summer Simmons, to score in every inning. Up 8-3 after four innings, CHS used five-run outbursts in the fifth and sixth to end the game via the 10-run rule.
Trailing Wylie 1-0 after four innings Friday at Bulldog Field, the sixth-ranked Lubbock Cooper baseball team rallied for five runs in the final three innings to top the No. 12 Bulldogs 5-3 and complete a sweep of the three-game season series.
The Pirates, who downed WHS 8-5 on March 20 in Abilene and edged the Bulldogs 3-1 on Tuesday in Lubbock, scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings and one in seventh on Friday, before holding off a late rally from the home team to secure the win.
The victory clinched Cooper (22-4 overall, 11-0 in league play) at least a share of the District 4-5A title, while Wylie (17-7, 7-4) remained in a second-place tie with No. 13 Lubbock Coronado, which was upset 1-0 by last-place Lubbock Monterey on Friday.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 15:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches as of April 15. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 15:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches as of April 15. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Kylor Aguilar’s high school athletic career has been filled with obstacles, but after beginning it with such promise as a state silver medalist as a freshman, the Wylie pole vaulter is on track to finish it in style.
Aguilar, who had his sophomore season derailed by a rare bone disorder and had his junior season shortened by the COVID-19 stoppage, is having his best high school season to date as a senior.
And after vaulting a career best 15 feet, 9 inches at the District 4-5A meet in Lubbock, he’s our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending April 10.
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LINK … GAME STORY: Gay strong once again as No. 11 Wylie rallies past 12th-ranked Coronado
The Cooper softball team bounced back from a tough loss to Wylie on Tuesday with a dominating effort Friday, using a six-run third to take early control in an 11-3 home win over Lubbock Cooper.
The Lady Cougars, who lost to their crosstown rivals on a walk-off home run Tuesday, eliminated the drama early in their win over the Lady Pirates, following a one-run second with six in the third and two in the fourth to go up 9-0 before the visitors finally got on the board.
It wasn’t quite the one-hit shutout he threw in his first start against 12th-ranked Lubbock Coronado on March 19, but Brook Gay’s performance Friday was enough to secure a series win for No. 11 Wylie, thanks to a late rally by his offense.
The junior right-hander limited the Mustangs to just two runs on five hits in another complete-game gem, and his teammates answered Coronado’s two-run top of the sixth with two runs of their own in the bottom to earn a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Bulldog Field.
With the victory, the Bulldogs took the season series from the Mustangs 2-1, bouncing back from a 13-8 loss at CHS on Tuesday to improve to 17-5 on the year and 7-2 in District 4-5A play.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 8:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches as of April 8. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 8:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches as of April 8. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
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LINK … GAME STORY: Fernandez’s walk-off homer fuels Wylie to big district win over rival Cooper
Stepping up to the plate in the seventh inning of a tie game against crosstown rival Cooper, Wylie third baseman Jadyn Fernandez wasn’t thinking about ending the game in one swing.
With one out in the inning and the winning run on first, the sophomore cleanup hitter was just hoping to do her part to extend a potential game-winning rally.
As it would turn out, Fernandez ended the rally in the best way possible, launching her first career home run over the fence in center to lift WHS to a 6-4 walk-off win over the Lady Cougars on Tuesday at Lady Bulldog Field.
Five members of Wylie’s 11th-ranked baseball team made their college decisions official on Monday during a joint signing day celebration at the Wylie Performing Arts Center.
Pitcher Walker Piland (Abilene Christian University), infielder Jaxon Hansen (Angelina College), infielder Riley Hood (Lubbock Christian University), outfielder Cooper Cothran (Ranger College) and outfielder Reed Hughes (Hendrix College) all announced their college destinations at the ceremony before a crowd of family, friends, coaches and teammates.
The event came in the midst of an outstanding start for the Bulldogs, who enter this week’s home-and-home series with No. 12 Lubbock Coronado at 16-4 overall and 6-1 in District 4-5A play.
A strained hip may have slowed Aspermont junior Sadie Gentry, but you’d never know it by watching her compete.
A week ago, Gentry took gold in the high jump (4-8) and the 400 meters (63.8) at the District 15-1A meet. She then helped the 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams take district titles as in 52.9 and 4:33, respectively.
Her four district titles were more than sufficient to earn her our Capital Farm Credit Player of the Week/BCP Player of the Week award for the week ending April 3. But when you add the fact that she was nursing a sore hip and following orders to not overdo it, her performance becomes even more significant.
For most high school baseball teams, the phrase “pitching staff” is something a misnomer.
A “staff,” for a fair majority of coaches, is comprised of a Tuesday starter, a Friday starter and one or two reliable relievers that can be leaned on to limit the number of innings needed by others.
In that regard, the 12th-ranked Wylie Bulldogs are a true anomaly. Blessed with an abundance of pitching depth — both in talent and meaningful experience — WHS coach Grant Martin has more quality pitchers than innings currently available for them.
The uncommon nature of his situation isn’t lost on the second-year Wylie head coach, who currently has his team at 16-4 overall and off to a 6-1 start to District 4-5A play. He knows well what an asset that depth is at present and how important it will be come playoff time, when best-of-three series can force teams deeper into their bullpen than they’re used to.
Continue reading “FEATURE: Uncommon pitching depth has Wylie baseball team built for long haul”
LUBBOCK — The Cooper softball team picked up a big District 4-5A victory Thursday, going on the road to run-rule Lubbock Coronado, which was previously unbeaten in league play.
The Lady Cougars (15-6 overall, 3-1 in district) scored 10 runs in the fifth inning to secure a 14-4 victory over the Lady Mustangs and pull into a tie atop the 4-5A standings with one game remaining in the first round of league play.
LUBBOCK — For the second time in three days, the 12th-ranked Wylie baseball team jumped out quickly on Lubbock Monterey and held on for a comfortable win, riding a six-run first inning to a 13-5 win over the Plainsmen on Thursday at Moegle Field.
The Bulldogs, who also sored six runs in the first inning of a 10-0 home win on Tuesday, swept the three-game season series with Monterey, outscoring the Plainsmen by a combined score of 29-5 in those victories.
Friday’s win, Wylie’s fourth in a row, improved coach Grant Martin’s team to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in District 4-5A play heading into the Easter weekend.
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LINK … LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Wylie rallies past Lubbock Cooper for first district win
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LINK … LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Albus, Wylie bats strong in 10-0 win over Monterey
The Wylie softball team picked up a much-needed win over Lubbock Cooper on Tuesday, scoring the final seven runs in a 10-4 home win over the Lady Pirates.
The Lady Bulldogs, now 13-9 overall, used a four-run second to erase an early 4-3 deficit, before adding one in the third and two in the sixth to improve to 1-2 in District 4-5A play.
Dash Albus pitched four shutout innings and got ample run support from his lineup Tuesday as the 12th-ranked Wylie baseball team improved to 5-1 in District 4-5A play with a 10-0 run-rule victory over Lubbock Monterey.
The Bulldogs gave their starter six runs in the first inning, and he took care of things from there, limiting the Plainsmen to one hit and two walks before giving way to Jaxon Hansen in the fifth.
Wylie outhit Monterey 12-2, using a three-run bottom of the fifth to put the 10-run rule into effect.
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LINK … GAME RECAP: Gay, Wylie too much for Cooper to handle in run-rule victory
Coming off a one-hit shutout against a ranked Lubbock Coronado squad last week, Wylie junior Brooks Gay was on his game again Friday, limiting Cooper to just three hits and one run over five strong innings to pitch the No. 15 Bulldogs to an 11-1 win over the Cougars at Bulldog Field.
The 6-foot-3 right-hander surrendered a run in the first inning, but was dominant from that point forward. And the Wylie lineup took care of the rest, scoring four runs in the second, three in the third, one in the fourth and three in the fifth to invoke the 10-run rule.
The Bulldogs outhit the Coogs 11-3, smacking five extra base hits, to improve to 14-4 overall and 4-1 in District 4-5A play.
While scoring and rebounding garner much of the attention in basketball, there are other elements, crucial to success, that seldom grab headlines.
Behind the scenes is where character, effort and sacrifice set the foundation for teams to reach their full potential. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who bring these elements to the table.
This team isn’t about who the best players are — though some of the area’s top players are on this list.
The Gym Rat Team is about outworking, outhustling and outgiving everyone around you, both on the floor and off. Hard-working, honest, selfless, tough, coachable kids are what we seek for this roster.
A Gym Rat Team member can be your best player or the last player off the bench. But the one thing all of them bring is an uncompromisingly good attitude.
It is for that reason that our Gym Rat Team is selected entirely by area coaches. And Big Country Preps is truly honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2020-21 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
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LINK … GAME STORY: Rough seventh inning sinks Wylie in 8-5 loss to Lubbock Cooper
The No. 23 Wylie baseball team suffered its first district loss of the season Saturday, allowing six runs in the seventh inning to fall 8-5 to Lubbock Cooper at Bulldog Field.
Wylie and Cooper were deadlocked at 2-2 after six innings, but the Pirates sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh, using four hits, a walk and a pivotal Wylie error to put some separation between themselves and the Bulldogs.
Wylie rallied in its half of the seventh, plating three runs and getting the tying run to the plate, but coach Grant Martin’s squad was unable to complete the comeback, falling to 12-4 on the year and 2-1 in District 4-5A play.
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LINK … GAME STORY: Gay masterful for Wylie in 9-0 win over No. 5 Coronado
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LINK … GAME STORY: Stamford softballers jump three classifications for big win over Wylie
STAMFORD — In the end, it was precisely what many people expected: A low-scoring game between a Class 2A softball powerhouse with an ace pitcher and a solid Class 5A club believed by most to be capable of doing some postseason damage.
The final: Stamford 2, Wylie 1 in nine rather quick innings which saw pitchers Citlaly Gutierrez (SHS) and Reese Farrar of Wylie make short work of their opposition.
Laylonna Applin tripled and scored on a throwing error with no outs in the bottom of the ninth to end it for Stamford (17-4), which saw Gutierrez spin a four-hitter through nine innings of work. The University of Texas-bound junior allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out 16 to help SHS leapfrog three classifications for a difficult win.
Wylie (12-7) was led by Kaylin Samulde, who singled and scored WHS’ lone run on a fourth-inning passed ball.
Facing off with fifth-ranked Lubbock Coronado in a big District 4-5A matchup at Bulldog Field, Wylie junior Brooks Gay knew he’d need to be on his game to give his team chance to beat the Mustangs and open league play at 2-0.
Boy, was he ever on his game.
The talented right-hander held Coronado to a single hit over seven shutout innings and took advantage of some solid run support to help the No. 23 Bulldogs to a 9-0 win that improved their record to 12-3 overall.
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LUBBOCK — The Wylie baseball team opened District 4-5A play with a shutout win Tuesday, riding a strong start from Dash Albus and a big offensive night for Landon Bailey to a 6-0 victory over the Lubbock Monterey Plainsmen.
Albus scattered seven hits and two walks over six shutout innings to earn the win, while Bailey went 3 for 4 with a run and two RBIs to head a list of four players to post multi-hit games for the Bulldogs.
Facing off with Class 4A No. 3 Iowa Park for the second time in four days while playing its first home game of the season Tuesday, the Wylie softball team was hoping to build on the hard-fought 3-1 loss it suffered at hands of the Lady Hawks on Saturday at the Graham tournament.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out that way for the Lady Bulldogs.
An error-plagued second inning led to nine unearned runs for Iowa Park, and the Lady Hawks cruised from there to a 19-6 win at Lady Bulldog Field, handing Wylie its first run-rule loss of the season in the process.
With the second-ranked Jim Ned baseball team off to a 12-0-1 start, it only stands to reason that some of the Indians will begin making appearances in this column.
This week, Jim Ned’s Blaine Palmer has snagged our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending March 13 with a two-sided performance worthy enough for a doubletake.
To begin with, Palmer delivered five perfect innings in a 20-0 win over Brady that saw him fan 14 hitters. He followed that with four solid innings in a 13-1 win over Eastland in the Jim Ned tournament with four more Ks.
His pitching line for the week: nine innings, one hit, 18 Ks, no walks and no runs allowed.
Oddly enough, his pitching performance was so good, it nearly overshadowed a red-hot week at the plate that saw him finish a combined 7 of 10 with a double, two triples and seven RBIs.
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Day 2 scores
Cooper 9, Southwest Christian 1
Wylie 3, Brownwood 1
MIdland High 14, Brownwood 3
Midland Lee 10, Wylie 4
Abilene High 13, Sweetwater 0
Wichita Falls Rider 7, Cooper 2
Records — Abilene High 2-12; Cooper 7-7; Wylie 10-3; Brownwood 5-5; Sweetwater 3-9-1
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Day 1 scores
Wylie 12, Abilene High 3
Cooper 6, Sweetwater 0
Brownwood 7, Sweetwater 5
Southwest Christian 3, Wylie 0
Crandall 4, Brownwood 1
Wichita Falls Rider 11, Abilene High 1
Midland High 5, Cooper 4
Records — Abilene High 1-12; Cooper 6-6; Wylie 9-2; Brownwood 5-3; Sweetwater 3-8-1
THIS WEEK: Longtime area basketball official Jeff Groban talks to Evan and Dan about the challenges of his profession
When one hears the name of Trace Morrison, the first thing that may come to mind among Big Country Sports fans is Stephenville’s utility man extraordinaire who earned All-Big Country Preps honors as a receiver, punter and place-kicker.
Well, you’ve got the right guy. You’ve just got the wrong sport this time around.
As it turns out, Morrison is also one of the area’s top baseball players, as evidenced by him taking our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the week ending Feb. 27.