SAN ANTONIO — The Wimberley High School baseball team won back-to-back games against the Sinton High School Pirates in a best-of-three game series last week in the 4A D2 Regional Finals.
In the opening game of the series, Sage Hall was three for four, Wyatt Yeatter was two for four, with a double, and the Texans pounded out 11 hits in the 6-2 win Thursday, May 22. Wimberley held a 3-2 lead going into the sixth inning and scored three runs in the seventh inning. The Pirates got their two runs in the fifth inning. The pitching duo of Gentry McGinnis, with five innings, and Jackson Parker, with two innings, combined for three strikeouts, gave up two runs on four hits and walked four batters. McGinnis is 9-1 with a 2.61 ERA and Parker is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA and has two saves.
Ty Thames, .83 ERA, threw 98 pitches in pitching a complete seven innings in game two Saturday, May 24, and the Texans’ 4-2 win over the Pirates secured the sweep to win the series. Thames and the Texans defense kept the Pirates scoreless through the top of the third inning.
Bryson Anderson got a lead-off walk in the bottom of the inning and a Jayden Hall bunt moved him to second base. Anderson scored the first run of the game for a 1-0 lead, when Thames hit a ball to the right fielder that bounced out of his glove for a double.
The Pirates scored two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 2-1 lead and with one out had a runner on second base. Anderson chased down a fly ball in centerfield for the second out and caught the runner off base with a throw to second to end the threat. Jayden Hall led off in the bottom of the fifth and flied out to center. Thames hit a looper to shallow right field for a single and Yeatter drew a walk moving Thames to second base. Hall was the catalyst when he connected with a pitch, hitting the ball just inside the third base line for a double, which scored Thames to tie the game 2-2 and moved Yeatter to third base.
“I saw that curve ball three times and it was that third at bat I started seeing it out of his hand and I was going to jump right on it,” Hall said after the game. “He gave it to me first pitch, I put it in play and it came up big.”
A passed ball allowed Yeatter to score from third base giving the Texans a 3-2 lead. Hall was at third base when Cody Stoever, two for two with a double, beat out the throw to first base on a fielder’s choice. Hall easily scored the third run of the inning and a 4-2 lead Thames and the Texans would not relinquish for the win.
“All year long he’s been coming up with big hits, that one was big for him and big for us,” head coach Jeremy Locke said about Hall after the win. “I’m so proud of this team. Both pitchers pitched well, but I can’t say enough about Ty Thames, the way he competes and the job he did on the mound, you just can’t ask any more from guys like him.”
Thames, who has a .417 batting average, had a wild pitch, two walks, two hit by pitch, one of which appeared to be a foul tip, gave up two hits and two runs with one earned run and had six strikeouts for the win. The Texans had four runs on four hits and walked six times. Locke came out to visit in the sixth inning but Thames said he had plenty of gas and there was no way he was coming out of the game: “Oh, no sir. It’s every week building up stamina and I’m glad I'm able to compete the way I can.”
The Texans are now one of the final four teams to advance to the State semifinals and will play Bridge City High School in a best-of-three game series. All games will be played at Navasota High School with game one at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29, game two at 2 p.m. Friday, May 30, and if necessary, game three will be 30 minutes after game two.
