Five run 4th inning stuns error prone Mustangs
Brazoswood felt like it was up to them to gain respect after flying under the radar for most of the season, which included losing to Memorial four out of five times dating back to last season.
A five run fourth inning erased a 5-2 Mustang lead as the Brazoswood Buccaneers swept Memorial 12-5 to win the Class 5A Region III championship best-of-three series at Ray Knoblauch Field Friday night.
With the win, the Buccaneers finished the post season undefeated, 10-0 while erasing memories of the last two seasons that ended at the door of another long playoff run.
Brazoswood Coach Bobby Williams said, “It’s unbelievable. Every team starts out the beginning of the season with their gold being to go to Austin, Round Rock. Nobody thinks their actually going to be the team. These guys have worked their tails off and there unbelievable to be around and it has been an unbelievable season. I’ve seen teams make it with sheer talent but these guys made it on sheer will power.
The Bucs (33-8) picked up a couple of runs in the top of the first inning when Cantu slapped a double to the wall in right center. Perry would reach first on a throwing error by Mustang’s second baseman. Michael Pyeatt followed with an RBI single to right to give the Bucs the early 1-0 lead, the second run came curtsey of Harris Rome‘s wild pitch.
In the bottom of the first inning the Mustangs even the score. Carter Burgess grounded a ball to short Stop Will Renner who threw low to first base which skipped through the dirt and out passed the Bucs dugout, leaving Aaron Ruzinskky and Ben Carl to score.
For a moment it looked as if we would see a game three when Memorial added three runs in the bottom of the third. Burgess RBI single along with Beau Rathjens 2-run single gave the Mustangs a 5-2 cushion at the time, very similar to the night before.
“They executed extremely well. It seemed like everything they called it worked for them, weather it was the squeeze bunt, hit run it didn’t matter. We didn’t play good defense and if you don’t play good defense you’re not going to win a lot of big games. You have to tip your hats to Brazoswood they did an outstanding job. But I’m proud of my guys and the season they had,” said Memorial’s Coach Jeremy York.
Much like game one, Brazoswood scored five runs in the fourth inning with the help of two errors. Will Easter reached first base with a walk, Colby Alexander’s sacrifice bunt was fielded by pitcher Harris Rome who fired to first off balance, causing the throw to sail by first baseman Kacy Clemens into foul territory. Pinch runner Josh Ward replaced Alexander at first base. Then, Blake Johnson added a run scoring infield single to cut the lead to two, 5-3. The Bucs, an exceptional squeeze bunting team pressed the Mustangs again when John Ermis dropped a squeezed bunt in front of home plate. Rome, for the second time in the inning threw the ball low and away toward first base, rendering a 2-run error, his second error of the inning. Ward and Alexander crossed home plate to tie the score at 5.
Ermis who was standing on third base, avoided catcher Wayne Taylor on a play at the plate when Cantu laid down a squeeze bunt to the left of home plate. Taylor had possession of the ball as Ermis approached home plate but missed him when he dove under sliding face forward as he touched the base to give the Bucs the lead 6-5. From that point on things snowballed for the Mustangs. Brandon Bergen’s bases loaded run scoring walk capped a devastating fourth inning and produced a two run lead.
Memorial (32-10) seemed pretty stunned after the fourth inning, never recovered.
The Bucs added five more runs in fifth to sweep their way to the school’s first berth to Round Rock since winning the title in 1992 at the (University of Texas) Disch-Falk Field, a 5-1 defeat of San Antonio South High School.
Bucs Ace pitcher Brandon Bergen didn’t have his best stuff but was steady as he worked Memorial batters. His night included seven full innings pitched with eight strike outs, ten hits and four walks to go with his 15th win on the season.
Brazoswood third baseman Dalton Perry reached base in every at bat, once on an error, a walk and three singles with two RBIs.
“I was seeing the ball real well; I was seeing the ball coming out of his hand real well. I could see the laces,” said Perry Bucs Third Baseman. “We just kept fighting, I’m proud of Brandon Bergen (Bucs Pitcher). I’m proud of our whole pitching staff; we’re all hitting the ball well.
