by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hawley edges Flatonia in eight innings to earn date with top-ranked Collinsville

AUSTIN — The Hawley baseball team needed eight innings and contributions from almost every player in its lineup to extend its deepest playoff run in program history Wednesday at the University of Texas’ Disch-Falk Field. 

But the Bearcats’ Class 2A state semifinal matchup with Flatonia ended the same way each of their first 10 postseason games did — with a check in the ‘W’ column.

After watching FHS rally from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, coach Jamie Seago’s squad scratched across a run in the eighth and held on from there for a dramatic 4-3 victory, ending a hectic day that saw a morning storm in Round Rock force a venue change to the state’s capital. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ira rallies past Chester, earns championship matchup with Fayetteville

ROUND ROCK — Ira’s Class 1A state semifinal game against Chester wasn’t always pretty Wednesday at Dell Diamond. But the good thing for coach Toby Goodwin and his Bulldogs is it didn’t need to be.

IHS was outhit 8-4, had three errors lead to four unearned runs and trailed 5-0 just three innings into its first-ever state tournament game. And when the Bulldogs did finally rally, they did the bulk of their damage with their bats on their shoulders, taking advantage of seven walks, two hit batsmen and two wild pitches on their way to a 10-5 win.

But in the end, the come-from-behind victory over a feisty Yellow Jackets squad was enough to earn the Bulldogs their first state championship appearance in program history. And that reality is as beautiful as Goodwin could have ever imagined it would be.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Brock downs Jacksboro 9-3 in Game 3 to earn return to Round Rock

WEATHERFORD  — The Brock baseball team cashed in on its scoring opportunities and kept Jacksboro from doing the same Saturday night at Weatherford College’s Roger Williams Ballpark.

In the end, that was the difference in a 9-3 win that clinched the Region I-3A championship for the Eagles and earned BHS its third state tournament trip in four years.

Coach Koby Page’s lineup scored at least one run in all six of its trips to the plate, while pitchers Cam Harris and Ethan Riley pitched around near constant base traffic to keep Jacksboro off the board until the seventh inning. And by then it was too late for the Tigers, who saw their season end one win shy of their first state appearance at 31-10-1.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Fast start fuels Hawley past New Home in Game 2, on to first state tournament

SEMINOLE — The Hawley baseball team is headed to the state tournament for the first time ever after blasting New Home 8-2 in Game 2 of its Region I-2A finals series on Friday to secure a series sweep over the two-time defending region champion Leopards at Robert Ryan Baseball Field.

Facing New Home ace Logan Addison, the Bearcats came out of the gates firing, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first to chase the Texas Tech-bound right-hander after just one-third of an inning.

That cushion was all starter Creed Ernst needed as he delivered five strong innings before handing an 8-2 lead over to relievers Gavin Olney and Alek Southerland, who closed out the win with a clean sixth and seventh.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Canyon outlasts Stephenville, takes thrilling Region I-4A championship series in three games

LUBBOCK — Pushed to the brink of elimination by an emotional Game 1 loss to Canyon on Thursday, the Stephenville baseball team rallied from a 3-1 sixth-inning deficit to defeat the Eagles 5-3 in Game 2 and force a decisive third game Friday at Texas Tech’s Dan Law Field.

But the Yellow Jackets’ postseason magic — and a wildly successful 2024 campaign — ended with the rubber match, as Canyon responded with a 5-4 win in Game 3 to deny Stephenville its second state tournament trip in four years.

The finale, which saw the Eagles score two runs in the bottom of the fifth to break a 3-all tie, closed the books on an intense regional finals series that was ultimately decided by a single run. And in reflecting on the highly competitive three-game set, during which both teams posted identical run totals, SHS coach Justin Swenson said the Eagles were just a little bit cleaner than his team was over the two days in Lubbock.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Brock rides big first inning to Game 2 win, evens series with Jacksboro

GRAHAM — It took Brock almost five innings to score in Thursday’s opener against Jacksboro.

With the Eagles’ season on the line Friday night in Game 2 of the Region I-3A championship series, Brock erupted for six runs in the first inning.

With Evan O’Connor throwing strikes, that was more than enough as the Eagles forced Game 3 with a 7-2 victory at Steers Stadium. The Region I-3A title will be decided at 7 p.m. Saturday at Weatherford College.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Balch tosses complete-game one-hitter to pitch Hawley past New Home in Game 1

SEMINOLE — Hawley left-hander Westyn Balch continued his postseason brilliance on Thursday, delivering his third complete game shutout in five playoff starts to pitch the Bearcats to a 2-0 win over New Home in the weather-delayed opener of the Region I-2A finals series at Robert Ryan Baseball Field.

Balch, who lowered his playoff ERA to 1.06 with the win, allowed just one seventh-inning hit to outduel New Home starter Ashton Lucio in a game that was delayed 3½ hours by a severe thunderstorm that produced baseball-size hail in nearby Denver City. 

Taking advantage of a two-run rally in the top of the seventh sparked by teammate Alek Southerland’s one-out double to the left-center field gap, Hawley’s senior ace pitched around a leadoff single and a one-out walk in the home half of that inning to close the complete game gem with his 11th strikeout on his 113th pitch of the night. It came around 12:30 a.m., capping a tidy pitcher’s duel that took just two hours to complete. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Coahoma survives another war, takes home second straight 3A title

AUSTIN — Less than 24 hours after surviving an 11-inning state semifinal with Whitesboro that took every ounce of energy his team could muster, Coahoma coach Alex Orosco had a two-fold challenge on his hands.

Not only did his Bulldogettes have to recover quickly to play for the Class 3A state championship on Thursday, but a difficult Grandview team was standing in the way of CHS winning a second straight title. 

Somehow, someway, Coahoma met both challenges — finding the energy in sweltering Austin heat to defend its championship with a 3-2 win over the Lady Zebras in eight innings. 

Brynn Rodgers was 2 for 4 with an RBI double to drive home Abi Rose for the game-winning run, and Hannah Wells tossed a six-hitter through eight innings to lift the Bulldogettes, who finished their season with a perfect 32-0 mark. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Brock star Strosnider taking attention in stride as Eagles eye state return

What impresses Brock baseball coach Koby Page more than the raw power or speed is center fielder Sawyer Strosnider’s mental approach to the sport.  

“He just has this continual drive to improve. He’s constantly thinking of ways to fix something or how he can be better,” Page said. “He knows where he wants to be, has a goal set in mind and is definitely driven to get there.”

Strosnider has enjoyed the kind of success you’d expect from a TCU commit during his senior year. He enters the Eagles’ regional finals series against Jacksboro batting .537 with three homers, 49 runs and 46 RBI.

In fact, Strosnider has accumulated more extra-base hits (31) than singles (27) and has reached base an astounding 63 percent of the time. When the 2024 MLB Draft begins in a couple weeks, it’s a decent bet Strosnider has his name called.

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by Evan Ren

2024 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS DREAM MEET: Boys field

While the UIL state track meet provides a fun and exciting end to the high school track season every year, giving the best athletes in each part of the state an opportunity to compete against the other top athletes in their classification, we here at Big Country Preps have an additional way to honor the top athletes in our area. 

After introducing the inaugural All-Big Country Preps Dream Track Meet in 2021, we continue that tradition this year.

As with our All-Big Country Preps teams for other sports, our Dream Meet is our way of honoring some of best athletes the Big Country Preps coverage area had to offer this past school year. Our method, however, is a bit different. 

Rather than being presented as a team, we’re treating this like a track meet with an area-wide field in each event. There are no distinctions made for classification, just a collection of the top performers from across the BCP coverage area. 

So without further ado, we present our All-Big Country Preps Dream Meet boys field. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.

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by Evan Ren

2024 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS DREAM MEET: Girls field

While the UIL state track meet provides a fun and exciting end to the high school track season every year, giving the best athletes in each part of the state an opportunity to compete against the other top athletes in their classification, we here at Big Country Preps have an additional way to honor the top athletes in our area. 

After introducing the inaugural All-Big Country Preps Dream Track Meet in 2021, we continue that tradition this year.

As with our All-Big Country Preps teams for other sports, our Dream Meet is our way of honoring some of best athletes the Big Country Preps coverage area had to offer this past school year. Our method, however, is a bit different. 

Rather than being presented as a team, we’re treating this like a track meet with an area-wide field in each event. There are no distinctions made for classification, just a collection of the top performers from across the BCP coverage area. 

So without further ado, we present our All-Big Country Preps Dream Meet girls field. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Coahoma escapes Whitesboro upset bid in classic 3A state semifinal

AUSTIN — As courtesy runner Emery Doporto rounded third to score the game-winning run, she was closing the books on one of the most memorable, heart-stopping, exhausting softball games for anyone who participated in it. 

For 11 innings and more than 3½ hours, unbeaten defending Class 3A state champion Coahoma fought to overcome a shocking upset bid by Whitesboro, finally putting away the Lady Cats 10-9 at McCombs Field. 

Mia Clemmer drove in Doporto with a two-out single in the bottom of the 11th to lift the Bulldogettes (31-0), who advance to face Grandview (32-3) for the 3A state title at 1 p.m. Thursday. 

Hannah Wells was 5 of 6 with a homer and three RBIs and Addi Hart was 3 of 5 with two RBIs to pace Coahoma, which trailed 4-1, 5-2, 8-4 and 9-8 before finally getting in the last word. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Forsan falls just short in state semifinal comeback bid

AUSTIN — The comeback kids finally fell short. But not before putting nearly everyone at McCombs Field on the edge of their seats. 

Power-hitting Forsan, with its penchant blasting its way out of trouble, saw its season come to a close on Tuesday in a 4-3 loss to Beckville in a Class 2A softball state semifinal. 

Bethany Grandgeorge was 2 for 3 with two doubles and earned the pitching win, while Gracey Struwe and Bailey Quinn were both 1 for 3 with two RBIs to lead Beckville (32-6-2), which advances to face either Crawford (29-6) or Shiner (31-3) for the Class 2A state title at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. 

Forsan (30-8-1), which had chopped a 4-0 deficit to 4-3, saw its rally end when Grandgeorge tossed a scoreless seventh inning while facing the top of the FHS order. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Hermleigh falls to Neches, 7-2 in Class 1A state semifinals

AUSTIN — A few missed opportunities, a few mistakes and one difficult pitcher was enough to close the books on another successful season by the Hermleigh softball team. 

Squaring off with Neches in a Class 1A state semifinal at McCombs Field on Tuesday, the Lady Cardinals were left with a number of reasons they fell 7-2. 

Neches pitcher Jessi Sumpter was at the top of that list after throwing a complete game three-hitter with 14 strikeouts. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Seniors Burt, Rodgers relishing leadership roles for state power Coahoma

Most Coahoma softball players only know what it’s like to end their season at the state tournament.

But not four-year varsity stalwarts Karleigh Burt and Brynn Rodgers. They were freshmen when the Bulldogettes lost in the third round of the 2021 playoffs to Jacksboro.

Knowing a trip to Austin wasn’t guaranteed, Burt and Rodgers have worked hard to ensure their senior season ended where they last two have. That’s exactly what’s happened as Coahoma (30-0) will face Whitesboro (32-7) at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Class 3A semifinals.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Mother Nature only delays Stephenville’s series-clinching win

STEPHENVILLE — The Stephenville baseball team has had plenty of bad luck this year during the postseason when it comes to weather delays.

Saturday afternoon, that bad luck continued at James T. Young Field.

As Seminole’s Marco Reyes’ stepped into the batter’s box with his team down 3-2 to start the seventh inning, the lightning alarms went off, leading to a lengthy delay of more three hours.

Once the game resumed, Stephenville saw a bloop single tie the game before Kutter Stone’s walk-off sacrifice fly gave the Yellow Jackets a 4-3 win, clinching their fourth consecutive trip past the Region I-4A semifinals.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Five-run sixth lifts Argyle to come-from-behind win over Wylie to clinch series sweep

CLEBURNE — Facing elimination after dropping the opener of its Region I-5A semifinal series to Argyle 12-0 on Thursday, the Wylie baseball team looked poised to even things up and force a deciding third game Saturday at the Cleburne High School baseball field.

But leading 4-0 after 5½ innings, the Bulldogs saw the wheels fall off in a five-run bottom of the sixth, leaving them on the wrong side of a heart-wrenching 5-4 loss and a two-game sweep at the hands of the Eagles for the second straight season.

The defeat marked the fourth consecutive year that Wylie was eliminated in the fourth round of the Class 5A playoffs, ending another successful campaign at 30-8.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Coahoma mercy rules Iowa Park to return to state for third straight year

GRAHAM – Coahoma is headed back to Austin to defend its Class 3A title.

The Bulldogettes sucked all the drama out of the Region I-3A final with a 12-run second inning in Saturday’s winner-take-all matchup.

Coahoma is headed to the Class 3A state tournament after cruising past the Lady Hawks 12-1 in five innings. The Bulldogettes will play Whitesboro at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

BREAKING: Dudgeon makes hard decision to leave Clyde for Godley

Regardless of their sport, coaches often talk about athletes in their program being an extended part of their family.

That relationship made Friday’s announcement to his team especially tough for Clyde football coach and athletic director Danny Dudgeon as he revealed to his squad that he had taken the same role at Godley, a growing Class 4A school northwest of Cleburne.

Making that move now, as summer workouts are on the cusp of starting, was tough for the man that has led the Bulldogs for the past three years.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Three-run blast in ninth sinks Stamford in Game 1 loss to New Home

SNYDER — One out away from celebrating a huge Game 1 win over two-time defending region champion New Home, the Stamford baseball team saw a tough break and a clutch Leopard rally extend the game to extra innings Thursday at Moffett Field.

About 40 minutes later, it was the Bulldogs’ hearts that were broken in a 4-1 loss to the Leopards that took nine innings and more than three hours to complete.

After forcing Stamford ace Christian Duran out of the game with a comebacker that resulted in a lower leg injury, New Home rallied on its final out to tie the game off reliever Alex Guzman. And the Leopards used some more two-out magic in the ninth, when Graham Stanford and Brazos Beck drew walks ahead of a three-run blast by Ryder Starkey for what proved to be the winning runs in an epic Region I-2A semifinal matchup.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Yellow Jackets overcome sluggish play to win Game 1 at Seminole

SEMINOLE — The bad news for Stephenville is that the Yellow Jackets didn’t bring their absolute “A” game to the opener of the Region I-4A semifinal series with Seminole on Thursday. 

The good news for the ‘Jackets is … neither did Seminole. And by the end of the evening, Stephenville had notched a 5-1 win to take the early series lead.   

Mason Haynes was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI and Wacey Dill worked five shutout innings to lead Stephenville (27-10-1) which can close the series with a win in Game 2 set for 4 p.m. on Saturday in Stephenville.  Game 3 (if needed), will follow 30 minutes after Game 2. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Forsan earns trip to state with 10-3 win over Anson

LAMESA — Facing a must-win situation in Game 2 of their Region I-2A championship series with Forsan, the Anson Lady Tigers showed up ready to play on Wednesday in Lamesa, with a raucous crowd behind them. 

They even rallied from an early 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 lead in the third inning. 

Forsan, however, had an answer in an overpowering offensive display that featured 11 hits and two homers in a 10-3 win that clinched the first state berth for the Lady Buffaloes in 14 years.

K’dynce Speck was 3 for 4 with a double, homer and four RBIs and Maddie Roach was 2 for 4 with a homer and a win in the pitching circle to lead Forsan (30-7-1) which opens play at the state tournament at Red and Charline McCombs Field on Tuesday. 

This will be the first trip to state for Forsan since the Lady Buffs claimed back-to-back Class 1A state titles in 2009 and 2010. Anson closed its season at 21-13, just one step away from reaching the first state tournament in program history.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Tubb tosses perfecto to help Forsan to 8-0 win over Anson in Game 1

LAMESA —When one thinks of a perfect game in high school softball, its generally a safe bet that it will come with a lofty strikeout count to take pressure off the defense. 

But in the case of Forsan’s Bree Tubb, the sophomore delivered the ultimate rarity in Tuesday’s 8-0 win over Anson in Game 1 of the Region I-2A title series. Rather than dominating the Lady Tigers, Tubb pitched to contact, delivering 21 straight outs with only five strikeouts and error-free defense behind her. 

The Lady Buffaloes (29-7-1) can close the series and earn a berth to the state tournament with a win in Game 2, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in Lamesa.  Game 3, if needed, with take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the same location.  Anson fell to 21-12 with the loss. 

Forsan was led offensively by K’Leigh Williams, who was 3-for-4 with a double, two homers and three RBIs. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie rides fast start to Game 3 win over Abilene High, advances to I-5A semis

Facing off with crosstown rival Abilene High in a winner-take-all Game 3 with a trip to the Region I-5A semifinals on the line, the Wylie baseball team wasted no time taking control Saturday, using a six-run first inning to build a lead it would never relinquish in a 14-4 win at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field.

The Bulldogs followed the big first inning with two more runs in the second to increase their early lead to 8-0, before relying on a wild — but effective — pitching performance to take the win home.

The Wylie trio of Tye Briscoe, Garrett Salada and Collin Bruning combined to no-hit the Eagles, pitching around 10 walks and two hit batters to keep AHS from ever clawing its way back into the game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Lady Eagles’ deepest playoff run in more than two decades ends at hands of Burleson Centennial

STEPHENVILLE — The Abilene High softball program’s longest playoff run since 2003 came to a close Saturday, ending with a 7-1 loss to Burleson Centennial at Tarleton State University’s Tarleton Softball Complex.

The Game 2 defeat, which followed a 13-2 loss in Friday’s series opener, ended the Lady Eagles’ season at 25-15-1, capping the state’s second-longest playoff run this season by a fourth-seeded team.

While Saturday’s game, which was within reach until the Spartans scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend a three-run lead to seven, didn’t end the way the Lady Eagles had hoped it would, coach Jenna Aguirre said the push to the Region I-5A semifinals set a new standard for her program.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Lady Eagles’ deepest playoff run in more than two decades ends at hands of Burleson Centennial” →

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Forsan steals momentum early to take Game 3 win over Haskell

In a series full of wild momentum swings, it was the Forsan softball team that landed the decisive one against Haskell on Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.

The Lady Buffs jumped out to a 7-0 lead through the first two innings of Game 3 and held on for a 10-6 win and a date with Anson in the regional final next week.

After rallying from a six-run deficit to win Game 1 on Thursday, Forsan saw Haskell start fast on Friday as the Maidens took Game 2.

Saturday’s series finale marked the first time all week that the Lady Buffs jumped out to an early lead and they made the most of it.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Late rally lifts Hawley over Albany 6-5 as Bearcats complete series sweep

ABILENE — It took seven tense innings and three lead changes, but the Hawley Bearcats emerged as the victor from their Region I-2A quarterfinal series with area rival Albany — capped by a 6-5 win at Walt Drigger’s Field on Saturday. 

Westyn Balch was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and Gavin Olney delivered 1.2 innings on the hill to pick up the win in relief as Hawley took the best-of-three series, 2-0.  

The Bearcats (21-9) faced two deficits — 1-0 in the early innings and 5-4 after six full — yet managed to overcome both.
They now advance to face Ropes in the Region I-2A semifinals next week. Albany finished another successful campaign at 19-4.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Bangs rallies to force extra innings before Stamford gets walk off win

Bangs scored four two-out runs in the top of the seventh inning on Saturday to force extra innings before Alex Guzman dropped a shot on the chalk down the right field line, scoring Brayden Jimenez, as Stamford took a 10-9 win to sweep the Region I-2A quarterfinal series at Hudson Wade Memorial Field on the campus of Abilene Christian Schools.

Stamford coach Steven Gould said Guzman’s series-clinching hit was perfectly placed.

“He’s a very patient hitter, got the count to 3-1 and knew they were going to have to pitch to him,” Gould said. “He put it right on the line and you can’t do any better than that. He came through in a big way at the plate.”

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High, Wylie set for winner-take-all Game 3 after splitting first two games

After two days of baseball, nothing’s been settled in the Region I-5A quarterfinal series between Abilene High and Wylie.

Playing in front of standing-room-only crowds Thursday and Friday at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field, the Eagles and Bulldogs split the first two games of the high-profile crosstown affair, with WHS taking a weather-suspended Game 1 by a 6-1 margin and AHS responding with a 7-5 victory in Game 2.

Those outcomes, both arrived at Friday due to Thursday’s opener being stopped by lightning in the top of the seventh inning, mean the first all-Abilene playoff meeting since 1996 will go to a decisive third game, giving local fans one more chance to pack Driggers Field for a winner-take-all matchup at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Abilene High, Wylie set for winner-take-all Game 3 after splitting first two games” →

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Stamford takes down Bangs in series opener

Stellar pitching and magnificent defensive plays aren’t always the norm at the small school level.

Someone forgot to tell that to the Bangs and Stamford baseball teams.

Stamford’s Christian Duran and Bangs’ Kenny Cole went toe-to-toe on Friday afternoon at Hudson Wade Memorial Field on the campus of Abilene Christian Schools as the Bulldogs eked out a 4-2 win in the opening game of their best-of-three Region I-2A quarterfinal series.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Balch’s complete-game shutout helps Hawley strike first blow in series with rival Albany

ABILENE — Fresh off one of the most dominant pitching performances in Big Country baseball history, Hawley ace Westyn Balch delivered another gem Friday, tossing a complete-game one-hitter to fuel the Bearcats to a 4-0 win over district rival Albany in the opener of a best-of-three Region I-2A quarterfinal series at McMurry’s Walt Driggers Field.

The senior left-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, before allowing an infield single to shortstop Drew Siller. That would be the only hit allowed by Balch, who struck out 10 to pitch around an error and a pair of walks.

The victory puts the Bearcats one win away from a trip to region semifinals when the series resumes at noon Saturday at the same site.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Haskell rebounds to defeat Forsan, ties regional semifinal series at 1-1

ABILENE — Less than a day removed from coughing up five errors and blowing a 7-1 lead, the Haskell Maidens found redemption at Abilene Christian University on Friday. 

Trailing Forsan 1-0 in a best-of-three slate following a disastrous 15-7 loss on Thursday, Haskell produced a well-played, well-pitched 12-3 win at Poly Wells Field on Friday to knot the series at a game apiece. 

Harley Medford was 3 for 4 with two doubles, a triple and five RBIs to lead Haskell (22-5), which snapped a 19-game Forsan winning streak with the victory. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Speedy Abilene High softball team riding ‘small ball’ to big season

Looking at the Abilene High softball team’s run totals, it would be easy to assume that the Lady Eagles have a lineup full of mashers. In the playoffs alone, AHS has averaged almost six runs per game — a hefty number behind a pair of standout pitchers in Diana Silva and Avah Reyes.

But coach Jenna Aguirre’s team doesn’t achieve those results the way one might think.

Doing more running that slugging, the Lady Eagles are playing big-inning softball using small ball. And in the process, they’re proving the age old idiom — speed kills.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Ira uses fast starts to sweep May in Region I-1A semifinals

CLYDE — Ira baseball coach Toby Goodwin was ecstatic when his team opened its Region I-1A semifinal matchup against May with five runs in the top of the first inning of Thursday’s Game 1 as the Bulldogs rolled to a 10-0 win at the Hanner Sports Complex.

The Game 2 encore left him almost speechless.

For the fourth time this year, Ira’s offense pushed at least 12 runs across the plate in an inning as the Bulldogs rolled to an 18-2 win to clinch the series. It was just one run off their best inning of the year, which they accomplished twice in eight days in mid-April. Thursday night’s outburst was also the 10th time this year that Ira had posted an inning with double-digit runs in just 21 games.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Forsan rallies from 7-1 deficit to defeat Haskell 15-7 in Game 1

ABILENE — Three innings into Game 1 of a Region I-2A semifinal on Thursday, everything was going Haskell’s way. 

The Maidens were leading Forsan 7-1, they had outhit the Lady Buffs 8-3, they had all the momentum and it was beginning to look like a possible mercy rule victory for HHS. 

Then it happened: An overwhelming display of power on the part of Forsan resulting in 14 unanswered runs over the final four innings, giving the Lady Buffs a stunning 15-7 come-from-behind win at Abilene Christian University. 

K’leigh Williams was 3 for 5 with a double, a homer and four RBIs to lift Forsan (27-6-1), which can end the best-of-three series with a win in Game 2 at noon on Friday at ACU.  Game 3, if needed, will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the same location.

Haskell (21-5), was led by sophomore Paige Sheets, who was 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

PREVIEW: Abilene High, Wylie set for first crosstown baseball meeting in postseason since 1996

Before last week’s Region I-5A quarterfinal softball series between Abilene High and Wylie, two local teams hadn’t met in the playoffs since 2001. 

With the AHS and Wylie baseball teams set to repeat the feat this week at McMurry’s Walt Driggers Field, the Eagles and Bulldogs will be snapping an even longer drought in their sport.

That opener of that series, set for 7 p.m. Thursday, will mark the first crosstown baseball game in the postseason since 1996, when Cooper edged Abilene High 6-5 in a one-game playoff on their way to the state semifinals. And with a trip to the region quarterfinals on the line, both the Eagles and Bulldogs are preparing for what promises to be a weekend to remember for local players, coaches and fans.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Forsan’s Phillips, Anson’s McCombs pulling double duty as football/softball mentors

Both of this week’s Region 1-2A semifinal softball matchups will have a measure of, “Hey, wait a minute!” potential, especially if/when fans look into the third base coach’s boxes when the games’ announcers introduce the principal figures.

When Forsan and Anson take the field for their series against Haskell and Floydada, respectively, their head softball coaches will be leading a second team from their schools to the playoffs during the current school year. That’s what happens when the successful head softball coach is also the school’s successful head football coach.

And, even though Forsan’s Jason Phillips and Anson’s Cory McCombs took different paths to become two-sport mentors, they both are hoping for the same thing at the end of the week: a chance to face each other in next week’s region final series, the winner of which will be headed to the state tournament.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

SIGNING DAY: Fourteen Cooper athletes, Wylie’s Salada make college decisions official

It was a special afternoon on Wednesday inside the Cooper and Wylie gyms as 15 local athletes from a variety of sports made their college decisions official in a pair of signing ceremonies.

Cooper had nearly all of the signees as 14 seniors signed for their future with their families, friends, coaches and community members filling the bleachers of Cougar Gymnasium.

At Wylie, meanwhile, Garrett Salada was the lone signee, taking a brief break from his prep for this week’s Region I-5A quarterfinal series against crosstown rival Abilene High to solidify his pledge to Luna Community College in Las Vegas, N.M.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Hawley ace Balch readies for Albany series off performance for the ages

In the category of Big Country feats for the ages, we offer this big, bold headline-worthy accomplishment from Hawley ace Westyn Balch, who last week pitched a perfect game — almost literally.

For those keeping score at home, here is how nearly perfect Balch was:

In the Bearcats’ 7-0 victory over Forsan in the Region I-2A area round, the senior left-hander yielded not only no hits and no baserunners; he struck out each of the 21 Buffalo hitters he faced. Furthermore, he threw 67 of his 76 pitches for strikes and had 32 swings and misses. 

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