BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @Gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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JUSTIN – Brewer freshman Cozy Tyson had to take a moment to herself with her team leading Argyle 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning during Game 3 of their Class 5A Division 2 bi-district series on Saturday at Northwest High School.
Tyson ran off the field twice, but collected herself after a few seconds.
Maybe it was something she ate.
Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the moment.
Whatever it was, Tyson came back to the circle and finished off the Eagles – getting a fly out in center for the 1-0 win and bi-district championship – sending Brewer to the area round against Fort Worth South Hills.
The Bears and Scorpions will start a 3-game set at 7 pm Thursday at Castleberry HS.
“A lot of adrenaline and situations like this – I’ve never experienced anything like this being a freshman…having everybody’s eyes on me and part of it was the heat, part of it was just nerves,” Tyson said.
“I knew this team needs me and I need them.”
Tyson – in the biggest game of her young HS career, fired a 1-hit shutout. She finished off the three-game series with just over 16 innings pitched – making an appearance in all three and getting two starts. Brewer lost 4-1 to Argyle in Game 1 before tying up the series 4-2 in Game 2 on Friday.
“It was an amazing team win and this whole series has been full of so many memories and so many cool experiences,” Tyson said. “This has been the best feeling I’ve had all season and our team played really great.”
Tyson provided the only run of the game.
She drilled a pitch to deep left that resulted in an RBI double.
Argyle pitcher Avari Sandifer was the hard-luck loser – with the complete game effort in Game 3. She pitched 17 innings in three appearances – giving up no earned runs on three hits and nine strikeouts in their Game 1 win. Sandifer’s HS career came to an end, but she will continue in college at Bowling Green State.
Sandifer worked around a one-out walk in the top of the first inning. Brewer second baseman Maddie Folsom picked up the unassisted double play to end the frame. Argyle shortstop Brooklyn Barnett was busy all game long – getting multiple putouts on defense.
After Brewer took the 1-0 lead, Tyson fired a scoreless bottom of the third.
Sandifer matched it with her own scoreless frame as Barnett got her third putout.
The Eagles, who finished fourth in District 6-5A, reached on a Brewer error in the bottom of the fourth and produced the game-tying run at third, but Tyson continued to keep Argyle off the board.
Brewer also had a runner at third in the fifth before Sandifer struck out a batter. For the second straight inning, Argyle had the game-tying run at third, but Tyson induced a soft grounder back to the rubber.
Argyle’s defense continued to shine – led by Barnett at short.
In the top of the sixth, she started the 6-3-5 double play.
The Bears, runner-up in District 5-5A, put some pressure on Sandifer and the Eagles in the top of the seventh inning while looking for an insurance run or two. Brewer put the first two runners on, but Sandifer stayed strong. Her defense got two force outs at home with throws from Barnett at short and Emily Davis at second. Still with the bases loaded and two outs, Sandifer popped up a batter just in foul ground at third to get out of the jam and keep it 1-0.
Tyson fielded a grounder for the first out in the bottom of the seventh and got a batter to ground out to shortstop Haylie Jimenez for the second.
“Cozy dug deep and she carried the load and that’s what you have to ask from your key players at times,” Brewer coach Josh Richards. “So proud of her and proud of our group.”
