BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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ARLINGTON – Senior John Clark drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning as McKinney Christian edged out Houston Northland Christian 9-8 during the TAPPS Division 3 state championship on Saturday from UT-Arlington’s Clay Gould Ballpark.
The Mustangs secured their first title in program history.
They finish the year with an impressive 28-5 record.
“It’s insane and honestly a surreal moment,” said Clark, who’s continuing his career at Odessa College. “To be able to bring back home the first state championship, it’s a blessing, and doing it with my childhood friends and the guys I’ve been playing with for a long time, it’s surreal.”
Added coach Brady James, “Grateful, relieved and all the positive emotions. These guys, I’ve had them in middle school football, a lot of them in the classroom too…we get to just enjoy this one a little bit more.”
It was a wild first inning for both teams as there were 11 runs scored. McKinney Christian plated five runs while Northland came back with six.
The first four Mustangs reached.
Clark led the game off with a single to left and scored on a double to center from Judd Witte. It was 2-0 when Witte scored on an RBI single from Teague Spivey. Marc Jensen was then hit by a pitch and two batters later, the lead grew to 4-0 as Spivey scored on a wild pitch and Jackson Johnson scoring Jensen on a sacrifice back to the pitcher.
Dane Johnson singled and Josh Anderson hit a one-out sac fly to make it 5-0.
10 batters came to the plate for the Mustangs.
The Cougars also brought up 10 players to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and the first five players reached base. Northland took a 6-5 lead on four hits and three walks in the inning.
Both teams were able to reach base, but couldn’t score during the next two innings until McKinney Christian went back on top in the fourth. Clark led off with a single and Spivey’s single and Jensen’s walk loaded the bases.
Clark tied the game with a sac fly from Porter Carroll and the Mustangs went in front 7-6 on an error by the Cougars. The lead didn’t last long as Northland scored in the bottom of the fourth and two hits and a hit by pitch.
It was 7-7 through four innings.
Anderson hit a two-out single in the fifth, but was left on base.
The Cougars got a man on, but also couldn’t regain the lead.
Witte drew a one-out walk in the top of the sixth and scored on an RBI double from Spivey that gave the Mustangs a 8-7 edge. Northland got an RBI double in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 8-8.
With one out and the go-ahead run on second, Johnson got back to back outs with a grounder and a strikeout. McKinney Christian was able to score in the seventh and then held off the Cougars for the win.
The Mustangs had one out and a runner on third when they went for the squeeze bunt. But it wasn’t executed and the runner was tagged out. Northland thought it was also a strikeout to end the inning and the players jogged off the field.
But the umpires ruled that Anderson pulled the bat back for a ball and he then later drew the two-out walk. Two batters later Clark ripped a 3-2 pitch up the middle for the go-ahead run and 9-8 lead.
“I was trying to stay through the ball, not do too much but when I got to two strikes – I was in fight mode,” Clark said. “Me vs you and honestly I was looking for a curve ball there. He hung me a curve and I stayed on it and the rest is history.
“Our motto this year is stay tough no matter what.”
Added James, “I gambled a little bit there and it backfired there. We talk about forgiving one another all season long. Those guys picked me up and I appreciated it and when you have John up in a big spot – you always feel good about it.”
In the bottom of the seventh and down one, Northland had a runner at second when it got a two-out single to right, but the Cougars didn’t wave him in and the player was held up at third.
With Jensen on the mound, he got a third called strike to start the celebration.
“We weren’t planning to throw Jensen today,” James said. “The time came and he had about 16 pitches left. He wanted the ball. When you have a senior, who’s been awesome all year and demanding the ball…I couldn’t be more proud of him.
“They out-performed by a landslide. I knew we had a good clubhouse and it translated to some good baseball along the way.”
