It took three days, that included three road trips to the Jourdanton High School baseball stadium, sixteen innings, and a high school graduation mixed in the middle, for the Panthers to clinch the Region IV Conference 3A Championship against the Bishop Badgers. But the Panthers did just what needed to be done, at just the right time, to win the best-of-three series 2-0 and move themselves into the final four and the State Semifinals at Dell Diamond in Round Rock this week.
Game one of the series began Thursday, May 29 at 7 p.m. Zack Wisdom came in relief of Jackson Hunter and went six and two thirds innings of no-hit baseball. Griffin Johnson and Eddie Calzoncit made an inning-ending double play to stop Bishop’s scoring run. The first inning ended with the Badgers leading, scoring two runs on one hit. Offensively Blanco sputtered, but the defense shut down Bishop giving the offense time to score. In the bottom of the fourth Justin Wardlow and Baylor Smith both got on base. With Wardlow in scoring position, Dylan LaRue hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home for the Panthers first run of the game. Bishop was scoreless in the fifth inning, but Blanco added the tying run on an RBI by Wardlow bringing Calzoncit home. The sixth inning was scoreless. The defense was strong again in the top of the seventh, with Wardlow making a throw home on an attempted sacrifice fly to catcher Tyler LaRue who swiped a runner out in front of home plate. At the mid-point of the seventh inning, the score was tied 2-2. The game was delayed for 30 minutes by lightning. The storms moved closer and with the threat of more lightning and heavy rain, the game was postponed and rescheduled to continue the next day, Friday, May 31 at noon. With seven seniors on the team and Coach Bryan Wyatt as the commencement speaker, the schedule change made the Blanco graduation day very interesting. Both Blanco and Bishop had small crowds, for what could have been only a half an inning to conclude the game, but the most devoted fans were there, loud and proud for however long the game would last. The Panthers batted the bottom of the seventh, picking up from the night before. With no runs scored the game moved into the eighth inning. AJ Briscoe took the mound for Blanco. With no runs scored in the inning, the game moved into the ninth. Blanco held off the Badgers in the top of the inning. With two runners on base, Briscoe struck out a batter. The next batter hit a bouncing grounder to Baylor Smith at third who fielded the ball and stepped on third for the force and then threw the ball to first to Walton Daves for a double play. With the Panthers up to bat and two outs, Calzoncit got behind on the count with two strikes. The next pitch was a ball. Then he fouled off two pitches, then another ball. With the count two and two, Calzoncit was hit by the pitch and took first base. Hunter batted next and the first pitch was a ball. Calzoncit stole second base. With Calzoncit ready to score, Hunter nailed a deep hit that sailed over the left fielder’s head and hit the wall. Calzoncit scored on Hunter’s stand-up, walk-off double. Blanco went ahead 3-2 to take game one.
Wardlow went three-for-four. Dylan LaRue singled and had one RBI. Calzoncit, Smith and Tyler LaRue all had hits. Hunter hit a double and had one RBI. Calzoncit and Wardlow each had a stolen base. Briscoe went two innings to get the win.
Game two began at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 1. Daves started on the mound for Blanco. The Badgers again hit well in the first inning. Left fielder Austin Van Pelt threw their first batter out at second base. The Badgers scored one run on three hits to lead 1-0 at the end of the first inning. In the second inning Dylan LaRue got on base on a play that brought Smith home. The second inning ended with the score tied 1-1. The third inning was scoreless. In the bottom of the fourth Bishop added a run to lead 2-1. The fifth and sixth innings were scoreless. In the top of the seventh the Panthers were trailing going into their last at-bat. Blanco tied the game 2-2 when Tyler LaRue singled home Calzoncit. Hunter got on base on a walk. Hunter moved to third. Tyler LaRue moved to second. Wardlow is walked by Bishop. Smith is up to bat. With bases loaded he smacked a hit to the wall between the left fielder and the center fielder. Hunter scored, LaRue scored, Wardlow scored and Smith stopped on third for a stand-up triple with three RBI. The Panthers lead 5-2. Dylan LaRue singled home Smith to increase the lead to 6-2. Briscoe came in to close in the bottom of the seventh. Briscoe struck out a batter. The second out came on a grounder to Calzoncit at second who threw the runner out at first. The third out was a little tougher to get. The Badgers put two runners on base. One of their best batters was at the plate. With a full count, the ball was hit deep to center field where Wardlow hauled it in for the third and final out. Blanco won game two on a seventh inning come-from-behind rally 6-2.
Smith hit two-for-three with a single, a triple, three RBI and two runs scored. Tyler LaRue and Dylan LaRue both singled and had one RBI. Daves had two hits. Calzoncit hit a single. Blanco had five stolen bases. Hunter, Tyler LaRue and Dylan LaRue each had one. Smith made two steals. Daves went six innings on the mound scattering five hits and walking two to get the win. Briscoe went one inning to get the save.
The Panthers are going to the State Semifinals for the third time. The first was in 1988 and the most recent was 12 years ago in 2007.
Coach Bryan Wyatt said, “The boys always find a way to win,” Coach Bryan Wyatt said. We are really peaking when it counts. We are going into the final four as hot as we have been all year. Our pitching, hitting and defense are solid right now.”
The timing couldn’t be better for a team to peak as they make their run into the playoffs. Blanco, 32-4, plays the Van Alstyne Panthers, 29-5, Friday, June 7 at 12 noon at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The other State Semifinal is scheduled earlier Friday morning at 9 a.m. Wall, 37-1, plays Kirbyville, 33-7-1. The two Semifinal winners play in the State Championship game at Dell Diamond Saturday, June 8 at 9 a.m.
