Pirates make the playoffs with 3-2 win

ALEDO -- Sophomore Braxton Heffernan's fifth inning line-drive triple lifted Granbury to a 3-2 win over White Settlement Brewer Saturday as the Pirates snatched District 5-5A's final state baseball playoff berth in Aledo.

Heffernan broke the ice in the first inning when the left-handed hitter smacked a line-drive double to center field to score Garret Jones, who got on board via a single.

GHS coach Brad Eppler has warned his players about beating themselves with mistakes throughout the season. After stumbling against Azle in a 4-1 road loss on Friday – it was a win-or-stay-home situation for Granbury and Brewer on Saturday.

It was a team win from the freshman starter Blake Bramlett to senior outfielder Matthew Walters taking the mound and the coaching decisions that put it all in place.

"They (Brewer) haven't seen Blake yet. He's the only guy in our starter concept that they have seen," Eppler said. "They have seen both Tyler Sudderth and Tyler Guidry. We decided to go with Blake on that and the lefty matchup."

Bramlett shook off a double by the first batter he faced, and the southpaw sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a groundout.

In the second inning, Bramlett surrendered a single and run-scoring double. Bramlett pitched into the fourth inning, where he forced two quick outs, but a pair of walks and a single put Brewer on top 2-1 and opened the door for Walters to take the mound.

Walters' appearance breathed new confidence as he wore a massive grin on his face throughout his warmup, and it stayed there as he faced his first batter.

"I'm not really a pitcher. So, I just get out there and try to have fun. I try to throw it over the plate, and that seems to work," Walters said.

That was something Eppler was counting on when he decided to insert Walters in the game, and it presented a different look for Brewers' batters.

"Matthew has a great deal of maturity. He is not truly a crafty pitcher at all. He knows how to throw strikes. He knows how to compete. You cannot teach compete," Eppler said.

GHS quickly tied it back up in the bottom of the fourth as Cooper Thomas got on board with a double and was driven home by a single from Guidry.

It would all boil down to the thunder of Heffernan's bat and Walters' work on the mound, where he allowed just one hit over three and a third innings and struck out three.

Walters, a Cornell commitment, was humble when talking about picking up the win.

And that big grin on his face as he hit the mound?

"It worked out well. I just tried to get in there and give us the best chance to win by getting the ball over the plate, and I know I have got guys behind me who can make plays. So, it's pretty fun when you are just out there shoving." Walters said.

The 3-2 score didn't show how well the Pirates hit the ball, and Eppler recalled at least six big shots that didn't find the right spots.

Still, Granbury outhit Brewer 7-4, with Heffernan and Jones coming up with two while Thomas, Guidry, and Levi Martinez had one. Both Jones and Heffernan were 2-3 at the plate. Heffernan's two RBIs were backed up by one from Guidry's RBI, tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth.

Walters put a wrap on the win and how his team feels about the bi-district round of the playoffs.

"We were kind of on the edge there (of not making the playoffs), and it feels a lot better now we are in for sure," Walter said. "We have Richland in the first round, and we are excited to see what they have got."

Granbury will be doing that over a best-of-three series against Richland at Brewer High School on May 6 and 7. The first game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start on Friday, and game two will be at 1 p.m. Saturday. If needed, game three will follow game two 30 minutes later. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Brewer High School is located at 1025 West Loop 820 North, Fort Worth, 76108.

Azle 4 Granbury 1

The Pirates played from behind after giving up three runs in the first inning and couldn’t catch up in a 4-1 loss to Azle on Friday that set up the fourth-place seeding game.

Sudderth allowed seven hits and four runs over five innings, striking out six.

Russell@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 231