Monday, April 29, 2024
WHITE SETTLEMENT – With Granbury baseball fans on the edge of their seats Saturday, senior pitcher Matthew Walters sealed the deal on a bi-district championship against Richland as the Pirates edged the Royals 2-1 at Brewer High School.
It was an instant classic, with all three of the games being decided by a single run, and the Pirates (18-10) came from behind in games one and three to defeat the District 5-6A champion Royals (17-12-1).
"What a heck of a three-game series! I mean bi-district baseball and playoff baseball in general – the games are so hard to win," Granbury coach Brad Eppler said. "It takes a lot of things coming together, and sometimes those things are out of your control."
Eppler was referring to the Pirates' game two loss where the Royals outhit the Pirates 8-5, but the hits were squeakers and just out of reach of Granbury players.
"There are some balls that bounce your way. There are some calls that go your way, or they don't," Eppler said. "There's a timely hit that can change the entire outcome. There's a great pitching outing. There's a mistake. All these things compound quickly in the playoffs. They (Richland) are good, and we got them by a run.”
Exactly one run, and with each game, the score kept shrinking 5-4, 4-3 and finally 2-1.
While Granbury fans might have preferred the Pirates to have won game two, Eppler expressed his pleasure in seeing the series go the distance over three games.
"I was happy to see it go to three games, to be honest with you," Eppler said. "I guess anybody would take it in two games, but at the same time because it is more at-bats, more innings on the mound, and another day in the sun gaining playoff experience."
The sun Saturday was a wilting experience and pushed both teams to the limit when it came to staying hydrated.
Eppler's scouting had indicated that getting the Royals into a third game would play into Granbury's favor due to the Pirates' depth at pitching. It would all boil down (in game three) to a serious charge by the Pirates' underclassmen being backed up by the seniors.
PIRATES 5, ROYALS 4
Sophomore Braxton Heffernan's walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Granbury Pirates to a dramatic 5-4 victory over Richland on Friday.
In the first inning, Matthew Walters got things rolling for the Pirates when he drove in Blake Bramlett with a double.
Richland (16-11) would have to wait for five innings before getting on the bases as GHS (17-9) starter Tyler Sudderth went five and a third innings, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out nine before giving way to Walters in relief.
Walter went the rest of the way, allowing zero runs on two hits, striking out seven and walking one.
Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pirates loaded the bases with a James Byrd double. A pitch hit Bramlett, a Garrett Jones' sacrifice fly moved the runners, and Richland intentionally walked Heffernan to load the bases.
With Walters at the plate, a wild pitch created the opening for Bramlett to score and tie the game back up.
Richland would get two runners on the basepaths in the top of the ninth inning, but Walters ended it with three pitches to set the stage.
Heffernan had a called strike on the first pitch and fouled off the second before making solid contact and driving the ball over the right-field wall for the win.
Heffernan led the Pirates' charge with three RBIs and Walters had two.
ROYALS 4, PIRATES 3
The Royals got out in front of freshmen southpaw Blake Bramlett early as Richland recorded its best hits of the series in the first three innings of game two.
The Pirates' defense was solid, but the Royals were able to poke the ball just out of the reach of infielders for base hits.
Bramlett struck out four batters and gave up four hits and a pair of runs over two innings. Senior Parker Bradley finished the game in relief and issued three strikeouts while allowing four hits and one earned run.
The Pirates stroked five hits, with Walters rapping two of them. Cooper Thomas, Garret Jones and Tyler Sudderth had one. Jones had the Pirates' only RBI.
PIRATES 2, ROYALS 1
Junior Tyler Guidry and freshman Levi Martinez would record the Pirates' two RBIs, but the GHS seniors closed it out in the seventh inning and the 2-1 series, sealing victory.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning as a hard-hit grounder by Martinez scored Walters, but the Royals bounced back in the bottom of the inning to tie it back up.
Granbury got the go-ahead run from Guidry, who hit a grounder to second base to give Walters his second score of the game.
After recording the hit, Guidry (the starter for GHS) finished the inning on the mound, where he ended up scattering four hits and striking out two.
Walters would provide the save as he pitched the final three innings using just 35 pitches overall. The last inning was brilliant for the senior, who needed just seven pitches to end the frame as he forced a pair of grounders and a line-out to finish it.
AREA INFORMATION
The Pirates will square off against Burleson-Centennial (22-10), the third-place finisher in District 8-5A. A time and date for the area playoff series were not set at press time; however, the Hood County News will update its readers via social media when those details are released.
Russell@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 231
