SAN ANTONIO – Boerne High won a blowout over Bishop to open their series last Thursday in Jourdanton and then closed out their best-of-three series with a squeaker Friday at Wolff Stadium to sweep the Badgers.
The Greyhounds took Game 1 by the score of 13-3 in seven innings and then beat the Badgers 1-0 Friday in S.A. to advance to the regional finals.
Boerne (30-9) faces Calallen (34-9) this week for the right to go to state.
Game 1 is Thursday at the SAISD Sports Park, 7 p.m. Game 2 is Friday at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, 7 p.m., and a third game, if needed, is Saturday Northeast Sports Park, 7 p.m.
Boerne High coach Geoff Curtin is in his first year with the program and said he’s not surprised at how well his team has done so far. They have a new coach and graduated a lot from last year’s team, but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing their playoff success.
“There’s so much tradition here and the kids kind of expect to be good and expect to win,” he said. “Their work ethic is so good; they work every day and it’s a testament to those guys.”
Hutson Hendrix, one of the few starters to return from last year, said he’s not surprised either.
“It’s a huge testament to the guys who stepped into the big roles,” he said. “We’re rolling, it’s one game at a time and we do everything together. We’re ready to go.”
Hendrix had two big hits in the series and both ended up being game winners. A Hendrix 3-run homer in Game 1 turned the tide in Boerne’s favor and a single in Game 2 drove in the only run of the contest.
Game 2
The closeout game turned into a defensive struggle with only one run scored.
Jackson Grimes pitched a gem on the diamond and only gave up 1 hit, 3 walks and struck out 6. Grimes received great defensive play behind him, especially in the top of the third when Bishop loaded the bases with no outs, but didn’t score.
A bunt attempt that hit the Badgers batter on the bounce was the first out and then the Greyhounds turned a double play. A short pop up to centerfield was caught by Dylan Perez for the second out. The runner from third tagged and was thrown out at home after catcher Jace Preston applied the tag.
That double play was one of three turned in the game – two by Bishop and one by BHS – that helped speed it up. Game 2 only lasted one hour and 40 minutes.
It stayed at 0-0 until the Greyhounds struck in the sixth. Walker Hill singled and then a sac bunt by Preston moved Hill to second with two outs.
Bishop intentionally walked Hudson McNew to put the force in play.
That brought up Hendrix, who burned the Badgers in Game 1 with a 3-run homer.
Hendrix came through with a clutch single. Hill was moving on contact, and the wide receiver on the football team, scored easily for the 1-0 lead that held.
Hendrix said he wasn’t surprised that they walked McNew.
“They walked our No. 4 hole hitter (Hudson McNew), he’s been hot all season, thanks to him for being good,” Hendrix said. “I wasn’t surprised at all, he’s one of our best hitters. That’s what happens when you have a line up, top to bottom, that can hit.”
Curtin said there was no doubt he was sending Hill from second on the Hendrix hit.
“It was two outs and a runner on second base,” the coach said. “They were pretty deep all series that we felt good about sending runners on base hits.”
Bishop’s last chance came in the top of the seventh but they went down in order with two strikeouts and a pop up to Hill in right.
Hill finished with 2 singles, while Perez, McNew, Hendrix and Reese House all singled as well.
Boerne batters only struck out once in the game.
Game 1
JOURDANTON – Boerne High blew open a close game with Bishop thanks to a 3-run home run in the third inning by Hutson Hendrix.
The Greyhounds added 4 more runs that inning for a 7-run frame and went on to defeat the Badgers, 13-3, in seven innings.
Thursday’s game in Jourdanton was tied 1-1 going into the third after Bishop scored a run in the first and Boerne answered with a run in the top of the second.
In that second inning, Hutson Hendrix doubled, moved to third on a Ryan Hooper bunt and then tagged up on a Jackson Grimes sac fly to tie it up.
In the third, Jace Preston and Hudson McNew both singled with one out. Hendrix came up and smashed a full-count offering over the left-field fence for the 4-1 lead.
BHS coach Geoff Curtin said the Hendrix hit changed the tone of the game.
“He’s been hitting the ball great all week,” Curtin said. “It was great for him and huge for us.”
And Boerne wasn’t done in the inning. Hooper singled, while Jackson Grimes and Reese House both walked and the bases were juiced.
Grant Tamplet came up and doubled to bring in Hooper and Grimes and it was 6-1. After the Badgers recorded the second out of the inning, Walker Hill singled and drove in House and Tamplet for the 8-1 advantage.
Bishop tried to answer and plated a run in the bottom of the inning and it was 8-2, but the Badgers never really made a serious push at Boerne’s lead after the third.
Both teams added single runs in the fifth and the Greyhounds recorded 4 more runs in the top of the seventh but it wasn’t a run-rule game since it went the full seven innings and Bishop still had to bat in the bottom half of the frame.
Tamplet singled in the fifth and Dylan Perez was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with one out. Hill singled to score Tamplet and it was 9-2.
After Bishop pushed in a run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 9-3, the Greyhounds cemented the win with 4 more runs in the seventh.
In that last inning, Perez walked and Jace Preston singled to score Perez for the 10-3 lead. McNew singled and Hendrix walked and the bases were loaded once again.
A balk allowed courtesy runner Ronnie Scarbrough to score from third and then a wild pitch let courtesy runner Colton Shaver make it home for the 12-3 advantage.
Grimes came up and singled and Hendrix scored his third run of the game and it was 13-3 before the Badgers could retire the side.
Campbell Jackson was nearing his pitch limit but retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh and managed to finish it out. A ground out and two strikeouts ended it with Jackson at his limit of 110 on the last play of the game.
Jackson gave up 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks and he struck out 7.
BHS finished with 16 hits, 8 walks and 11 RBI. Hendrix homered and doubled, picked up 3 RBI and scored three times.
Tamplet doubled and singled, drove in 2 runs and scored 2 runs, Perez walked and scored, Hill finished with 3 singles and 3 RBI and Preston hit 2 singles and took a walk, while driving in a run.
McNew banged out 2 singles, was walked once and scored 2 runs, Hooper hit 2 singles and scored a run, Grimes singled, walked, picked up 2 RBI and scored a run, while House hit 2 singles, took 2 walks and plated a run.
Curtin said they basically got back to basics and it worked.
“(In the previous series) we kind of got away from stuff we did all season,” he said. “I don’t know if you want to call it overthinking but we just went back to simple and we were better for it tonight.”
BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
REGION IV-4A FINALS
BOERNE VS. CALALLEN • Game 1, Thursday, May 30 at SAISD Sports Complex, 7 p.m.
• Game 2, Friday, May 31, at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, 7 p.m.
• Game 3, if needed, Saturday, June 1, at Northeast Sports Park, 7 p.m.
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