wildstangs
04-16-2003, 10:02 PM
Sizzling Stangs clinch playoff
Tuesday's next-to-last home game against Lamesa offered few surprises for Sweetwater's baseball team.
The Mustangs, as has been their happy custom of late, scored early and often and backed it up with reliable pitching and defense in winning by the 10-run rule for the fourth consecutive time as they routed the Golden Tornadoes, 15-2, in a 4 1/2-inning contest. Five of Sweetwater's seven district wins have come by the 10-run rule, including both district games against Lamesa.
But two significant things have changed. First of all, Sweetwater (7-1 in District 3-3A, 19-6 overall) has clinched a spot in the playoffs for the second straight year.
And the Mustangs, ranked No. 15 this week in Class 3A, are now also in a class by themselves in their district.
Snyder (6-2), which had been tied for the top spot in 3-3A, fell to second place after losing 9-2 to Merkel on Tuesday.
Sweetwater's only district loss came against Merkel (5-3) two weeks ago in Merkel. But the Mustangs get another shot at the Badgers this Thursday, when they play their final home game at 7 p.m. in Newman Park.
Lamesa managed to score first in Tuesday's game, but Sweetwa-ter quickly erased that early 1-0 deficit by scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
The Mustangs scored another five runs in the second to take a 10-1 advantage before spreading their last five runs out over the third and fourth innings. Lamesa managed only one run in that time, so Sweet-water -- which finished with 12 hits -- didn't need to bat again after the fourth.
Six of the Mustangs' hits were of the ex-tra base variety. Of those six, the biggest and also the most dramatic came off the bat of Coby Morrow. Morrow slammed a three-run, pinch-hit home run in the fourth inning -- his first of the season -- after another pinch-hitter, Austen Kite, reached on an error and Garrett Ferguson doubled.
Ferguson, Bubba Moncada, Reid Bishop and Kendal Car-rilo slammed consecutive RBI doubles in the second inning, and Randyn Tenery's bases-loaded single brought home the last two runs in the first-inning uprising.
Michael Straley had an RBI single in the third inning to score Moncada, and Kendal Carrillo scored on a passed ball to make it 12-2.
Nine Mustangs scored in all, with Carrillo and Moncada scoring three times each.
Meanwhile, Steven Reed (3-1) scattered eight hits to get the pitching victory. Reed struck out four and walked two.
"It's going to be a quick turnaround for us," said head coach Connie Cochran, referring to Thursday's game with Merkel. "But I think the kids will really look forward to this challenge. It will be the last home game for our seniors, and we have the district championship on the line. We've got seven wins with two to go." By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor
Tuesday's next-to-last home game against Lamesa offered few surprises for Sweetwater's baseball team.
The Mustangs, as has been their happy custom of late, scored early and often and backed it up with reliable pitching and defense in winning by the 10-run rule for the fourth consecutive time as they routed the Golden Tornadoes, 15-2, in a 4 1/2-inning contest. Five of Sweetwater's seven district wins have come by the 10-run rule, including both district games against Lamesa.
But two significant things have changed. First of all, Sweetwater (7-1 in District 3-3A, 19-6 overall) has clinched a spot in the playoffs for the second straight year.
And the Mustangs, ranked No. 15 this week in Class 3A, are now also in a class by themselves in their district.
Snyder (6-2), which had been tied for the top spot in 3-3A, fell to second place after losing 9-2 to Merkel on Tuesday.
Sweetwater's only district loss came against Merkel (5-3) two weeks ago in Merkel. But the Mustangs get another shot at the Badgers this Thursday, when they play their final home game at 7 p.m. in Newman Park.
Lamesa managed to score first in Tuesday's game, but Sweetwa-ter quickly erased that early 1-0 deficit by scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
The Mustangs scored another five runs in the second to take a 10-1 advantage before spreading their last five runs out over the third and fourth innings. Lamesa managed only one run in that time, so Sweet-water -- which finished with 12 hits -- didn't need to bat again after the fourth.
Six of the Mustangs' hits were of the ex-tra base variety. Of those six, the biggest and also the most dramatic came off the bat of Coby Morrow. Morrow slammed a three-run, pinch-hit home run in the fourth inning -- his first of the season -- after another pinch-hitter, Austen Kite, reached on an error and Garrett Ferguson doubled.
Ferguson, Bubba Moncada, Reid Bishop and Kendal Car-rilo slammed consecutive RBI doubles in the second inning, and Randyn Tenery's bases-loaded single brought home the last two runs in the first-inning uprising.
Michael Straley had an RBI single in the third inning to score Moncada, and Kendal Carrillo scored on a passed ball to make it 12-2.
Nine Mustangs scored in all, with Carrillo and Moncada scoring three times each.
Meanwhile, Steven Reed (3-1) scattered eight hits to get the pitching victory. Reed struck out four and walked two.
"It's going to be a quick turnaround for us," said head coach Connie Cochran, referring to Thursday's game with Merkel. "But I think the kids will really look forward to this challenge. It will be the last home game for our seniors, and we have the district championship on the line. We've got seven wins with two to go." By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor