Amarillo High’s Bryson Slaughter avoids the sliding Logan Malleck of Tascosa during an attempted double play in the Sandies District 3-5A clash with the Rebels at the AHS Baseball Complex on Saturday. [Tom Carver/ Press Pass Sports]
For the first time in five years, Amarillo High and Tascosa met in a district baseball game Saturday afternoon at Sandie Field, with the two teams coming off diverging results in District 3-5A play.
That didn’t prevent things from getting intriguing, the way things always seem to do when these two schools meet in any sport.
Amarillo High carried a three-run lead into the seventh inning, but Tascosa loaded the bases with no outs and brought home a run, putting the tying run on base. However, Amarillo High reliever Sandler Needham struck out the side to preserve a 7-5 victory and keep the Sandies unbeaten atop the district.
Third-year Amarillo High coach Randon Johnson, who’s also an AHS graduate, expected that kind of finish.
“I’ve been a part of this series for a long time,” Johnson said. “Throw the records out. It doesn’t matter who’s picked to win, it’s just two teams who are going to give everything they’ve got. I’m really proud of the guys the way they bowed their neck there and found a way to come out on top.”
Amarillo High (14-5, 5-0 in district) never trailed and led 5-0 after four innings. Tascosa (8-10, 2-3) might have had a negative carryover from Friday’s 12-3 loss at Randall.
But the Rebels rallied with four runs in the top of the fifth, highlighted by losing pitcher Koben Yarbrough’s two-run single off winning pitcher Jett Johnston, who was eventually relieved by Jacob Ferro.
The Sandies got some much-needed insurance in the next two innings. Will Maynard’s RBI single in the fifth and Johnston’s sacrifice fly in the sixth gave AHS a 7-4 lead.
Tascosa’s Josh Splawn reached on an error to lead off the seventh, then Ferro hit Yarbrough and walked Erik Arce to load the bases. That got Ferro pulled in favor of Needham.
“The district schedule has set us up for what we want to do arms-wise knowing that we play back-to-back Friday-Saturday series, it’s exactly the situation we’re looking at Sandler coming in right there,” Johnson said. “He’s a real example of a guy who’s been there already this year. We’ve played some really good teams in predistrict and he was absolutely prepared for that and did a great job out there.”
But it was a tough start for Needham, who walked Logan Malleck to bring home a run and cut it to 7-5. However, Needham bounced back, striking out Ben Kincaid, Brady Carroll and Cade Turner to preserve the win.
“It is a tough situation to come in as a relief pitcher but I just went out there and filled it up and knew that I had my stuff and they couldn’t hit it,” Needham said. “I was trying to be too perfect at the beginning and I decided to just throw the ball an it worked out for me. I just left it my catcher’s (Cayden Phillips) hands to call the right pitches. He’s a man back there.”
Berry and Maynard both drove in two runs for the Sandies, and Berry had a pair of doubles and a triple. Amarillo High got a close game after routing Caprock and Palo Duro, and in Friday’s 21-4 rout of PD, the Sandies had 19 hits, as six players had multiple hits and drove in multiple runs, with Ryan Proffer getting two hits and driving in four runs.
It was a tough-luck loss for Yarbrough, who gave up six runs in five innings, but only two of them were earned.
Amarillo High 7, Randall 5
Tascosa 000 040 1 – 5 6 2
Amarillo High 021 211 – 7 7 1
Koben Yarbrough, Ryne Wingate (6) and Davis Yaws, Yarbrough (6). Jett Johnston, Jacob Ferro (5), Sandler Needham (7) and Cayden Phillips. W – Johnston. L – Yarbrough. S – Needham. 2B – AHS: Davien Berry 2, Tristan Curless. 3B – AHS: Berry. Records: Tascosa 8-10, 2-3. Amarillo High 14-5, 5-0.
Randall bounces back
Randall completed a strong finish to the week after rough start, as the Raiders won their second straight home game in as many days, beating Caprock 10-2.
The Raiders (10-11-1, 3-2) began the week with a 10-0 five-inning 10-run mercy rule loss to Plainview. The week was a winning one, though, after beating Tascosa and Caprock on back-to-back days to put them back above .500 in district.
Randall jumped on Caprock (2-15, 1-4) with four runs in the bottom of the first to set the tone. The first three batters reached base and two runs scored on an error.
The Longhorns answered with two runs in the top of the second, but Randall came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by Mason Ladd’s two-run double.
Randall 10, Caprock 2
Caprock 020 000 0 – 2 3 4
Randall 440 101 x – 10 9 0
Ostos, King (3) and King, Ostos (4). Hagen Shedd, Payton Bush (4) and Mason Ladd, Alexys Camacho (5). W – Shedd. L – Ostos. S – Bush. 2B – Caprock: Jimenez, Escamilla. Randall: Bush, Camacho, Cayden Eason, Ladd, Preston Lowe. Records: Caprock 2-15, 1-4. Randall 10-11-1, 3-2.
Palo Duro’s struggles continue in loss to Plainview
Playing the top two teams in the district standings didn’t bode well for Palo Duro to end the week, as the Dons followed their loss to Amarillo High with an 11-0 five-inning run rule loss at second place Plainview to stay winless in district.
Palo Duro (4-14-1, 0-5) managed only a pair of singles against Plainview (12-8-1, 4-1), who scored four runs apiece in the first two innings to set the tone.
Plainview 11, Palo Duro 0
Palo Duro 000 00 – 0 2 2
Plainview 440 3x – 11 10 1
Anthony Roacha and unknown. Isaac Garza, Sabastian Alcala (5) and unknown. W – Garza. L – Roacha. 2B – Plainview: Charles Gipson, Diego Hernandez. 3B – Plainview: Caleb Lusk. HR – Plainview: Lusk. Records: Palo Duro 4-14-1, 0-5. Plainview 12-8-1, 4-1.
Eagles soar past Perryton
Canyon continued its rise to the top of the District 4-4A standings with an 11-1 win at home against Perrryton Friday.
The Eagles came out bats swinging with a five-run first inning highlighted by a Brody Cook RBI double to kick off the spurt.
Perryton did its best to get back into the game, scoring in the top of the third, and even loading the bases in the fifth, but Canyon Sophomore, Ben Black, was able to keep the scoring to a minimum to secure his team’s lead. Black finished his night on the mound giving up one hit, and only one run with eight strikeouts over three and a third.
Black helped himself out at the plate as well with a two-run double in the sixth that ended the game by way of the 10-run rule.
Canyon moves to 2-0 in district and 13-3 overall. Perryton drops to 8-8, 1-1.
Canyon 11, Perryton 1
Perryton 001 000 — 1 2 3
Canyon 502 013 — 11 8 3
Izzy Loma, (2)Levi Stevens, (5) Pablo Perez, (7) Brenton Heeler, Julian Cervantes, and Zane Eyler. Ben Black, (4) Camron White, (6) Blade Beaty, and Trent Hefner. W— Black. L— Loma. 2B— Canyon: Barrett, Black, Cook. Records: Perryton 8-8, 1-1. Canyon 13-3, 2-0.
Dumas takes out Herd with big second inning
Two games, two close victories for Dumas as it came away with a 7-5 victory Friday over Hereford at home.
Hereford (4-10 overall, 0-2 in district) jumped ahead in the top of the first with a RBI single by centerfielder, Josiah Pena, to get the scoring started. However, that 1-0 lead would be the only one for the Whitefaces.
Dumas got things cooking in the bottom of the second with three straight singles.
Add in a passed ball and a couple singles later, and the Demons found themselves up 5-1 after the second.
Dumas added another run in the third on a sac fly by Juan Cota, but the Whitefaces continued to nag at the Demons getting two runs back bringing the lead back down to 6-3.
Dumas (9-8, 2-0) padded its lead for starter Raul Bustamante, going up 7-3 in the fifth. Bustamante went for six frames finishing his night giving up two earned runs on four hits, racking up 13 strikeouts. Hereford put up two more runs in the sixth, but were halted by Dumas’s Boelter to earn the save.
Dumas 7, Hereford 5
Hereford 100 202 0 — 5 5 4
Dumas 051 010 x — 7 9 3
Carlos Duran and Neftali Nevarez
Raul Bustamante, (7) Blake Boelter, and Juan Cota. W— Bustamante. L— Duran. 2B— Hereford: Josiah Pena 2. Dumas: Armando Cardenas. Records: Hereford 4-10, 0-2. Dumas 9-8, 2-0.
Pampa pours it on Borger
The Pamp Harvesters avenged their first district loss by bouncing back with a convincing 13-2 run-rule win against rival Borger Friday night in Pampa.
Pampa jumped out on the Bulldogs when Cayden Stout doubled home a run in the bottom of the first to give the Harvesters a 1-0 lead. Pampa (9-6, 1-1) never relinquished its lead from that point on, as they went on to score an additional 12 runs over the next four innings. Cayson Steward was the cream of the crop Friday for Pampa as the Junior picked up three RBI as well as two walks on the night.
On the mound, the Harvesters were led by Rhett Hill. Hill pitched four innings giving up two hits, two runs and struck out seven in the winning performance. Hunter Nichols came in as relief in the fifth inning striking out the side and ending the Bulldogs night early.
Borger was led by Allan Cardenas who finished his night 1-2 with a two-RBI single in the top of the 2nd.
The Bulldogs drop to 2-15, 0-2.
Pampa 13, Borger 2
Borger 020 00x x — 2 2 4
Pampa 234 4xx x — 13 4 1
Counts, (3) Hoffman, (4) Hipolito, and Wesley Carlock. Rhett Hill, (5) Hunter Nichols, and Cayden Stoura. W— Hill. L— Counts. 2B— Pampa: Armando Miranda, Cayden Stout. Records: Borger 2-15, 0-2. Pampa 9-6, 1-1.
Class 4A compiled by Tommy King