JOURDANTON – In seems only fitting that the Boerne High baseball team won last week’s fourthround playoff series over Robstown to advance to the regional championship round in Bill Merrell’s final season with the Greyhounds In Merrell’s first year with the Hounds, back during the 2009-10 school year, the Hounds also advanced to the regional championship round to bookend Merrell’s career with regional finals appearances.
The coach, who is retiring after 14 seasons at BHS, said it’s been a fun ride but wants the ride to continue one more week.
“In 14 years, this is only the second time I’ve been fortunate to be (in the regional championship round). This stuff doesn’t come around all the time,” he said. “Boerne wins a lot and our kids get to the point where they think it’s supposed to happen but it doesn’t just happen, you have to work your guts out and then when the opportunity comes you have to go get it.”
The Hounds face longtime nemesis Sinton this weekend, with the winner advancing to the state tournament. This will be the sixth meeting between Boerne and Sinton in the playoffs since 2010 and the Pirates have won the last four match ups in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2021, with Boerne taking a series in 2010.
Game 1 was Thursday at Wolff Stadium in San Antonio and the rest of the series, Games 2, and if needed Game 3, took place in Corpus Christi at Whataburger Field on Friday.
Boerne enters the weekend with a record of 34-5 and ties last year’s team for the most wins in program history. They hope to add at least two more this weekend.
Game 3
After splitting the series with Robstown, it went to a third game and Merrell said it was all hands on deck when it came to pitching.
Tyler Garritano, who is returning from a leg injury, started on the hill, but gave way to sophomore Campbell Jackson in the first with two outs and with the Hounds trailing 1-0. The sophomore didn’t give up a hit or a run over the next 4.1 inning of work as BHS run-ruled the Cotton Pickers, 12-1.
Jackson, who hadn’t pitched all playoffs until last Saturday, said he was ready for the moment.
“All that’s running through my mind during the whole thing is throw strikes and get outs and the game is going to run smooth,” he said. “It all comes down to preparing every single day during the week. You can’t go into a game not being ready, you always have to be ready and be able to pitch strikes. I haven’t pitched in a month and it’s hard to come out here and throw strikes, but I got it done, I prepared mentally all week and got my body right, that’s all it takes, you have to have confidence.”
After Robstown scored its run early in the game, the rest of the night belonged to the Hounds. BHS responded by scoring 3 in the bottom of the first to take a 3-1 lead and then blew it open with 8 runs in the third.
Boerne batted 12 batters in the inning and sent 9 to the plate before the Cotton Pickers could get an out. A doubles, 5 singles and 3 walks busted the game open and gave Boerne an 11-1 lead.
Cale Blalock also singled in the fourth and came home on a Connor Shill sac fly to make it 12-1.
A walk and a hit batter with no outs in the fifth gave Robstown a chance to stay in the game and not get run ruled, but Jackson got the next two batters to pop up to left and line out to center for two quick outs. The next batter hit a grounder to Cam Johnson at shortstop, who threw to first to end the game.
Johnson finished with a triple and a double, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored, Brooks Perez crossed home plate once and Cale Blalock hit 3 singles and scored 2 runs.
Jackson only walked 1 batter, struck out 2 and didn’t give up a hit or a run.
“Campbell Jackson did a great job, he’s just a sophomore but I’m so proud of him,” Merrell said.
Game 2
A Boerne win in Game 2 would have ended it, but Robstown scored the game-winning run with a walk-off sac fly to centerfield to bring in the runner at third for the 2-1 victory.
Saturday’s Game 2 was scoreless until the fourth, but Robstown scored a run after a walk, an error and then an RBI single for the 1-0 lead.
The Greyhounds tied it in the top of the seventh after Walker Hill singled with one out. The Cotton Pickers inserted a new pitcher and Cam Johnson welcomed him to the game by ripping a triple to right-center with two outs to bring in Hill and tie it up at 1-1.
Johnson would have been the go-ahead run but the next batter popped up to left to send it to the bottom of the seventh where Robstown won it.
A bunt single and a double put runners at second third with one out. Johnson was inserted on the mound for the Hounds and the first batter he faced hit a fly ball to center. Brooks Perez caught it for the second out and then threw home but the runner was safe to give Robstown the win.
Xander Cloudy went 6.1 innings for the Hounds and gave up 5 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks and fanned 7.
Game 1
Robstown held a 2-0 lead thanks to a double, triple and a single, but the Hounds scored 7 unanswered runs for the 7-2 win.
After a Cale Blalock walk and a double by Walker Hill, Cam Johnson singled to bring in a run and make it 2-1 in the third inning.
The Hounds tied it up in the fourth on a sac bunt by Blalock to score Jace Preston and it was knotted up at 2-2.
Preston doubled in the fifth to bring in two more runs and then Boerne scored another run after Preston scored for the 5-2 lead.
In the sixth, Hudson McNew tripled and his courtesy runner, Grant Tamplet, scored on a Blalock single for the 6-2 advantage. Caleb Cloutier later scored on a Johnson sac fly and it was 7-2.
Robstown had one last chance against BHS pitcher Landon Lestourgeon but couldn’t do much after a single to start the inning. The BHS defense recorded three consecutive outs after that.
Lestourgeon scattered 5 hits in 7 innings, gave up 2 runs, 3 walks and sat down 7.
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