Chargers advance to third round to face district foe

SAN ANTONIO – For the first time in the 5A baseball playoffs, Champion faced an elimination game and the Chargers proved they were up for the challenge Saturday at the Northeast Sports Park.

With their backs against the wall against MacArthur, Champion run ruled the Brahmas in their winnertakeall third game. The Chargers won the first game, 10-1, dropped Game 2 to the Brahmas, 6-1, but rebounded to run rule MacArthur in the third game, 15-5 in five innings.

Champion is 30-7 overall and faces district foe Kerrville Tivy in the third round.

Their series begins Thursday at Charger Field, 7 p.m.

The second game is Friday at Tivy, 7 p.m. and a third game, if needed, is Saturday at Southwest Legacy, 1 p.m.

The Antlers had to win a play-in game just to make it into the playoffs and now they’re in the third round. Chargers coach Ben Woodchick said he’s not surprised at how well Kerrville is playing.

“Tivy is loaded, they’ve got a really good senior class and some really good arms,” he said. “Two or three weeks ago and it’s looking like they might not even get in, but they did. It’s a testament to our district and how talented it is. I think it’s the best 5A district in the state.”

Game 3

Champion won 15-5 in five innings and the catalyst for Game 3 was how the Chargers played in Game 2. MacArthur took the second game, 6-1, and Woodchick said his team didn’t play up to their standards and expectations and knew they would respond in that third game with the series tied at 1-1.

“I was hard on our kids after that (loss), we’re better than that defensively and they know it,” he said. “Making five errors in any game is not okay and they know that but some of their preparation and how they were handling their business wasn’t where it needed to be and I challenged them, and you see how they answered.”

The Chargers responded with 6 runs in the second for the 6-1 lead and added 7 more runs in the third for the 13-1 lead, which knocked the wind out of the Brahmas.

Champion put its first eight batters on in the bottom of the second before the Brahmas could record an out and it was 5-1 by then.

When the inning was over, Champion had batted 11 and was leading 6-1.

“We kind of hit in bunches today and in Game 2 our hits were separated out,” Woodchick said. “We played our hardest fought game of the year. It was cool to see them perform the way they did.”

The Chargers weren’t done and tallied even more runs in the third after they scored 7 to blow it open.

Champion put its first six batters on in the inning and recorded 8 of their 11 hits in those two decisive frames.

“For two or three innings it was all going our way and that was the challenge for them, to control the baseball game to make sure it was going our way,” Woodchick said. “I’m proud of our kids, especially after laying an egg (on Friday). We strung two innings together and put it away.”

5A BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

THIRD ROUND CHAMPION VS. KERRVILLE TIVY

• Game 1, Thursday at Champion, 7 p.m.

• Game 2, Friday at Tivy, 7 p.m.

• Game 3, Saturday at Southwest Legacy, 1 p.m.

The Chargers added another run in the fourth and opened up a 14-1 lead as the game went to the fifth frame.

Woodchick started moving players in and out and Mac was able to score 4 runs in the top of the fifth and make it 14-5, which meant the Chargers had to bat in the bottom of the fifth.

Cam Logan walked to start the inning, stole second and third to put the game-ending run at third. A hit batter and a walk loaded the bases and brought up Andrew Harrison.

Harrison singled and Logan scored from third to end it at 15-5.

Champion had 11 hits in the game including an RBI double in the second by Owen Kuhl that drove in the first run. Kuhl also scored.

Jordan Ballin hit 2 singles, pushed in a run and scored once, Quinn Grable finished with 2 singles, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, Brock Browning singled and scored twice.

Aidan Smith walked, pushed in a run and scored once, Brody Bendele walked, Cam Logan singled and tallied 3 runs, Gage Goldberg singled, walked and picked up an RBI, Garland Whitehead hit 2 singles, took 2 walks, collected 2 RBI and scored 2 runs, while Andrew Harrison singled, walked, pushed in a run and scored twice.

AJ Grizzaffi went 4 innings and picked up the win on 65 pitches. He yielded a hit, 1 run, walked 2 and struck out 3.

“He shined in the big moment, he’s had only one or two starts coming in. He’s been our closer, our stopper out of the pen,” Woodchick said. “For him to prove he can be a starter is good for us, it might happen again down the road.”

Jackson Melanson pitched in the fifth to close out the game.

Game 2

Champion scored first in Friday’s Game 1 and was leading 1-0 but the contest slipped away from the Chargers over the next two frames as Mac scored 3 runs in the third and fourth innings and it was 6-1.

Champion committed four of their five errors in those two innings.

“Mentally we weren’t right, and we addressed some of those issues,” Woodchick said.

Neither team scored after the fourth frame and it stayed there at 6-1.

The Chargers had 5 hits to match its 5 errors.

Evan Kuhl tripled and singled, Owen Kuhl singled and scored, while Aidan Smith and Garland Whitehead both singled.

Matthew Booth went all 6 innings and gave up 5 hits, no earned runs, no walks and fanned 2.

Game 1

Back-to-back triples by Quinn Grable and Evan Kuhl in the third inning jumped started the Charger bats.

Grable’s triple brought in Andrew Harrison, who singled, and Jordan Ballin, who walked to make it 2-0.

Kuhl’s triple scored Grable and then Cam Logan laid down a sac bunt to bring in Kuhl for the 4-0 lead.

Aidan Smith doubled to start the fifth for the Chargers and they ended up scoring 3 runs for the 7-0 lead.

After Mac plated a run in the sixth, it was 7-1 and Champion added 3 more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 10-1.

The Chargers had chances to end it via the run rule in the sixth but weren’t able to and it went to the top of the seventh where Mac batted but didn’t score.

Champion finished with 11 hits, including the triples from Kuhl and Grable. Kuhl also singled, picked up an RBI and scored twice, while Grable pushed in 2 runs with his triple and plated a run.

Jordan Ballin walked twice and scored a run, Aidan Smith doubled and singled and scored a run, Cam Logan walked, picked up an RBI and scored twice, Owen Kuhl singled and drove in a run, Gage Goldberg walked twice and singled, Garland Whitehead hit 2 singles and collected 4 runs, while Andrew Harrison hit 2 singles, took a walk and scored a run.

Sawyer Smith went 6 innings and picked up the win. He scattered 7 hits, gave up 1 earned run and only 1 walk, while striking out 4 on 90 pitches.

Aidan Smith closed it out on the mound and threw in the seventh inning. He yielded 1 hit, no runs and 2 walks.

NOTES: The “home team” won every game in the series. The Chargers took Game 1 at home, Mac won Game 2 Friday and even though Game 3 was played on Mac’s home turf at the Northeast Sports Park, the Chargers were the home team. … The Brahmas were 3-0 in elimination games going into Saturday’s Game 3. They dropped their first one to South San in the first round and won their next two to go 2-0 in elimination games. Mac won Friday’s Game 2, which made them 3-0 in elimination games going into Saturday, where the Chargers ended the streak. … Champion and Kerrville Tivy split their two games this year, with each winning at home. The Chargers won at home on April 2, 4-1, and the Antlers won at home on April 5, 7-3.