The 2026 baseball season came to an end for the Big Sandy Wildcats in the second round of the playoffs. The Wildcats’ area-round matchup against the Goldthwaite Eagles was a best-of-three series at Mumford High School. Big Sandy won Game 1 but could not stop Goldthwaite, losing Games 2 and 3 on Saturday to be eliminated from the playoffs.
In Game 1 Friday night, neither starting pitcher allowed a run until the top of the third inning, when Ezekiel Angel drew a one-out walk. He eventually scored from second on an error at second base, giving Big Sandy an early 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the fifth inning, when Conner Ratcliff started a two-out rally with a liner over shortstop. The Wildcats then took advantage of an error, two passed balls and a wild pitch to score two more runs and take a 3-0 lead.
Gus Hardy led off the top of the sixth with a double into the gap. Hardy advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Eli Murphy and scored on a sacrifice groundout by Lev Cox. With two outs and a runner on base, Ratcliff hammered an RBI-triple into the right-center gap and later scored on a throwing error by Goldthwaite, giving Big Sandy a 6-0 lead.
The Eagles scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the inning on a pair of singles and a Wildcat throwing error. Big Sandy added another run in the seventh inning when Cox drew a bases-loaded walk for the 7-1 final.
Corbin Cude pitched another outstanding game for the Wildcats, throwing all seven innings. He allowed four hits and no earned runs, while walking three and striking out five.
Big Sandy also got strong performances at the plate. Ratcliff went 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Gus Hardy went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and a run scored.
With a one-game lead in the series, Big Sandy needed one win Saturday to advance to the regional semifinals against Shiner. Game 2 turned into a pitching duel, but the Wildcats got off to a rough start.
In the top of the first inning, the Eagles scored on a walk, a double and an RBI-single to take a 2-0 lead. The score remained 2-0 until the fifth inning, when Goldthwaite loaded the bases and added another run on a fielder’s choice. That proved to be all the Eagles needed in a 3-0 win.
Big Sandy starting pitcher Angel battled through five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out six. Daniel Barker pitched the final two innings and allowed two hits without giving up a run.
Offensively, Big Sandy struggled to get its bats going. Gus Hardy went 2-for-3, while Jasper Hardy finished 1-for-3. Goldthwaite’s center fielder also played standout defense throughout the series, taking away several potential Wildcat hits.
With the series tied at one game apiece, Big Sandy and Goldthwaite faced off in a winner-take-all Game 3.
Goldthwaite’s Game 2 starter, Ben Wetzig, continued his dominant performance on the mound. After throwing seven scoreless innings in Game 2, Wetzig returned in Game 3 and added three more scoreless frames. He finished the day with 10 consecutive scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out four.
The Wildcats scored their lone run in the fifth inning, when Barker was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and later scored on an Eagles’ error. Goldthwaite went on to win 7-1.
“We showed up ready to play,” Wildcat head coach Kasey Glover said. “We just couldn’t get things to go our way. We hit a lot of baseballs hard right at them, and they made a lot of outstanding plays on defense.”
Glover’s first season at Big Sandy was a success, as the Wildcats finished the 2026 season with a 19-14 overall record, placing second in district with a 10-3 mark.
The Big Sandy baseball program will lose two seniors in Ratcliff and Gus Hardy.
“A lot of our success this season is a result of our two seniors buying in to the program and taking the young guys under their wing,” Glover said. “We definitely have some shoes to fill in the leadership department with those two graduating.”
The future looks bright for Glover and the Wildcats. Big Sandy is expected to return eight starters next season, all of whom gained valuable playoff experience this year. The coach said expectations will be high.
“Our No. 1 goal will be to bring the 24-2A district title back to Dallardsville.”
