For the third time this season, the Big Sandy Wildcats faced the Evadale Rebels to break a tie for second place in the district and decide the top Division II seed. Played at Jasper High School, Big Sandy took a 5-3 victory.
Evadale threatened in the top of the first inning with back-to-back singles to start the game, but the Wildcat defense kept the Rebels off the scoreboard. Big Sandy answered in the bottom half of the inning. With runners on first and second, Trig Byrd hit a stand-up double into the left-center gap, scoring both runners to give the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead.
The Rebels struck in the third inning. After a single and an error put runners on second and third, Evadale tied the game on a single to center field. With the bases loaded and two outs, another single to left field gave the Rebels a 3-2 lead.
The score remained 3-2 until the bottom of the fifth inning. With runners on first and second, Lev Cox hit a line drive to left field, scoring Gus Hardy from second to tie the game. A few batters later, Conner Ratcliff ripped a ball past the Rebel first baseman and into the right-field corner, scoring Eli Murphy and Ezekiel Angel to give Big Sandy a 5-3 lead.
Evadale continued to fight, putting two runners on base in the sixth inning and another in the seventh, but Big Sandy’s pitching and defense proved too much.
Corbin Cude started for Big Sandy and delivered another strong performance. He pitched six innings, throwing 112 pitches while allowing one earned run on eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Jasper Hardy earned the save, pitching one inning, allowing one hit and striking out one batter.
Offensively, Ratcliff went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Byrd finished 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Hardy went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.
“The boys played their hearts out and came through with some timely hits that helped us seal the deal,” Big Sandy head coach Kasey Glover said. “I feel like we are finally reaching our full potential in toughness and competitiveness, and it couldn’t happen at a better time.”
Next up, the Wildcats will face the Milano Eagles in a bi-district matchup at Willis High School. Game 1 is 7 p.m. Friday; Game 2 is 1 p.m. Saturday; and Game 3, if necessary, will be 30 minutes after Game 2. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Cash and cards are accepted. Passes accepted include THSCA, TGCA and senior citizen passes.
