Cy-Ranch keeps dream season alive, knocking off Kempner in nine innings

Byrd’s big catch, takes winning run away from Cougars

 
It’s a first, first for the Mustangs, who are in the playoffs for the first time and making its first trip to the UIL State Baseball Tournament.
Justin Monsour led off the ninth inning with a double off the wall in left field and scored the winning run on an erratic throw from Connor Teykl to first baseman Alec Lavergne and shortstop Leon Byrd made a game saving catch as Cy-Ranch clinch its first trip to state by defeating Kempner 5-3 in the Class 5A Region III Finals, in game two of the best-of-three, sweeping the series 2-0 Saturday at Cougar Field.
In impressive fashion, the Tigers (31-8) are 10-0 after sweeping all of its region III opponents. Who they’ll meet in Round Rock next Friday, will be determined early next week.
Monsour’s double, Bryce Johnson’s fielder’s choice bunt, Corbin Martin infield bunt single, followed by Bryce Stark’s RBI double broke open a tie game, giving Cy-Ranch a commanding 5-3 lead that would stick for the win.  Teykl who was working in relief of pitcher Tate Williams, laid out to stop Martin’s bunt to the left and fired to first base off target which cause the ball to get away from the first baseman.
Cy-Ranch coach John Pope said, “We kept telling our kids, we can’t sit here on two runs.  That’s not going to win this ball game.  I told them, we have to keep plugging and scratching away.  There’s a reason they got this far, there a scrappy bunch (Kempner).  They never gave up and my hat goes off to them.”
 Monsour and Corbin Martin led Cy-Ranch with two hits each.  Monsour manage to get on base in all three plate appearances, reaching once on an error.  Zach Bragg got the win and Johnathan Whitley picked up the save.    
Cy-Ranch first two runs were unearned.  Catcher Dalton Lemoine scored the first run from third base when pitcher Tate Williams fail to secure ball in his glove.  Later in the fourth inning, Dalton Stark ripped a single down the third base line and eventually scored when Williams dropped a ball while covering first base which would have retired Monsuur, who’s softly hit ground ball on the first base side, was fielded by first baseman Alec Lavergne. 
Kempner (30-7-1) rallied in each of the next two innings to tie the game at 3.  DH Dom Taccolini sent a run scoring single up the middle as Teykl scored, cutting the lead 2-1.  Right fielder Jordan Hoang’s doubled in the gap to right center and Teykl’s single to right field drove in the second and tying runs.
After, things looked to turn in the Cougars favor.  But that ever-so-needed clutch hit in the bottom of the seventh inning, in which Cougar Fans waited on, never came.  It could have meant game three.
With Hoang on first base and Lindemuth on second, Teykl hit a looping flair that looked as if it was out of reach for the diving short stop Leon Bird.  Instead, Bird made a highlight reel catch, turning in the play of the game, helping uphold Cy-Ranch undefeated post-season record.
“The situation was first and second, with two outs. The winning run was on second. I had told everybody, were diving bodies which means; keep the ball in the infield.  The ball went into the air, I was like, I got to catch this for the team,” Mustangs shortstop Leon Byrd said.  
Kempner got its next break in the bottom of the eighth, before the well finally ran dry.  With one out, Alec Lavergne worked a walk. Dylan Dusek took a pitch to the head as he moved to first base after being floored. Right after, pinch runner Anthony Parker entered for Lavergne and was caught snapping in a pickoff move that executed perfectly by pitcher Bragg and shortstop Byrd.
“I’m disappointed as the kids are,” said Cougars coach Mark Jones.  My hats off to Cy-Ranch, they deserve to win.  We just made critical mistakes at the wrong points in the ball game that ended up costing us.  But it wasn’t because our kids weren’t playing hard. We had our chances in the late innings. We just couldn’t get that run across.”
That staged the Mustangs game winning rally.
“I’ve got a talent group of kids; I’ve got a great coaching staff.  They believe in each other, they believe in us.  More importantly they care about each other.  They never gave up, they battled for nine innings.
Kempner, who also entered the regional finals undefeated, end its best season in school history since advancing to the regional semifinals earlier this decade.