Mustangs Take Down #8 in the State

     The Mustangs went to battle on Monday, April 8, against the Kiowas from Booker. It was a huge game for the Mustangs. Winning meant tying for a share of the district crown, while losing would mean staying in second. The weather was typical for Texas Panhandle weather...WINDY!

     Seth Skarke started on the mound with Bradley Cornell behind the plate. A pop up got the first out of the game caught by Tate Wilkerson. A single to short right got the first Booker runner on. A fielder's choice had the runner out at second on a Tyler Peden to Wilkerson throw out. A fielding error on the next hit ball had the first run of the game. Another fielder's choice had an out at second, this time on a throw from Wilkerson to Peden.
     Zach Johnson did his job and got on with a walk to start the offense for the Mustangs. Peden got a single to right to have two on. Wilkerson then bombed the ball for a three run home run. A strikeout got the first out. Cornell reached when he hit a single to left. He was then thrown out on a stolen base attempt at second. Maison Mays got on with a walk, but during the next at bat he was also thrown out on a stolen base attempt at second to end the inning. After 1, the score was 3-1.

     The first Kiowa batter reached on a walk. The next batter hit a fielder's choice that had Peden throwing to Wilkerson for an out. The runner on first was then thrown out trying to steal second by a throw from Cornell and a tag from Peden. A ground out from Wilkerson to Logan Johnson got the last out for a three up three down inning.
     L. Johnson got things going with a single to center. Teron Webb bunted into a fielder's choice that had L. Johnson out at second. A strikeout got the second out. Z. Johnson made it safely to first after a dropped third strike. A single to left by Peden had Webb scoring. A deep fly ball was caught to wrap up the second inning. The Mustangs remained on top 4-1.

     The Mustangs got two quick outs in the top of the third. There was a ground out from Peden to L. Johnson and a pop up caught by Mays. A walk followed by an error allowed a Kiowa runner to get into scoring position. A double was hit that scored another run for Booker. Skarke got a strikeout to retire the sides.
     A ground out was followed by Cornell hitting a double to left. A single up the middle by Mays saw Cornell crossing the plate. A line drive caught by the pitcher had the Kiowas turning a double play to end the third. After three, the score was 5-2.

     The top of the fourth started with a pop up caught by Peden. An error on the next ball hit had a runner on board. A pop up caught by L. Johnson had out number two. A double was then hit to right to score a run. It was followed by a single to short right. Another fielding error saw another run score, before Skarke got a strikeout to send the Mustangs in.
     Webb got on with a base on balls, followed by two strikeouts. Peden also reached on a walk, but nothing got going for the Mustangs as another strikeout ended the inning. The score was 5-4.

     Two walks put the first two Booker batters on. A strikeout recorded the first out, followed by a sac bunt that had the batter out on a throw from Skarke to L. Johnson. The next batter hit a single to left center that scored two Kiowas, and had them taking the lead. A hit by pitch put another runner on the bases. A single to center scored one more run for Booker. A walk loaded the bases, but the next batter hit a ground ball that was fielded by L. Johnson.
     Playing from behind now the Mustangs got down to business. A line out got the first out in the bottom of the fifth. Cornell started things with a ground rule double over left center. Mays hit an infield single to have two on. L. Johnson stepped up and hit a shot over the left field fence for a three run homer. There was a lot of controversy over the hit as to if it actually went over or bounced over. In the end, the umps ruled that it cleared the fenced. Webb hit an infield single to get on and then a ground out had Booker changing pitchers. Z. Johnson was the first to face the new pitcher and he got a big hit to left center for a double that scored Webb. Peden drew a walk, and then Wilkerson hit a double down the left field line to score Z. Johnson and Peden all the way from first. A pop up sent the Mustangs back out on defense. With five gone the score was 11-7.

     The Mustangs kept the momentum up and got three outs quickly. The first two came from ground outs from Skarke to L. Johnson. A single to left and an error put a runner on. However, he got caught too far from the bag and was picked off on a throw from Skarke to Peden.
     In the bottom of the sixth Cornell hit a ball that took a big bounce over the center field fence for a ground rule double. Mays reached on an error by the shortstop. A fly ball caught in center found Mays not tagged up and out at first. Cornell was sent home in the mayhem, but he was also thrown out to end the inning. The score remained 11-7.

     The Mustangs needed to hold on for three outs. The first Booker batter reached on a hit by pitch. A pop up caught by Wilkerson had the first out. The next batter hit a fielder's choice that had Wilkerson throwing to Peden for the out at second. A walk turned the line over with two on. Skarke battled through and wrung up the last batter for the win. Mustangs won 11-7.

Skarke went the distance throwing a lot of pitches and striking out four. Cornell went 4 for 4 hitting three doubles. Also hitting doubles were Z. Johnson and Wilkerson. L. Johnson got a home run for the Mustangs. It was a great match-up and game to watch. The Mustangs are now tied for 1st with a 5-1 district record.