BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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ROUND ROCK – Grapevine and Humble Kingwood Park went back-and-forth on Friday, and saw four lead changes, but the Mustangs pulled away and held on to beat the Panthers 9-5 during the UIL Class 5A Division 2 state championship game at Dell Diamond.
Grapevine (36-3) goes back-to-back and wins the program’s third title overall (2016). The Mustangs beat Lovejoy 6-5 on a walk-off to win the 5A championship in 2024.
“It’s been really fun to be a part of. It’s kind of surreal,” Grapevine coach Jimmy Webster said. “We went to the regional semifinals the year before last, won it last year and knew we had a target on our back. We handled it well and still knew it was going to happen, and we still ended up 36-3 and state champs again. It’s not easy to do.”
The Mustangs put on the early pressure against Panthers’ starting pitcher Aden Murray with two runners on board in the top of the first inning. Gianni Corral sent a pitch up the middle to drive in a run – giving Grapevine an early 1-0 lead.
Kingwood Park (34-10-1) loaded the bases in each of the first three innings.
The Panthers scored two in the first on an RBI ground out from Murray and an RBI single from Nick Sloanker, who hit a pitch that went just over Grapevine second baseman Colin Park.
Connor Ray hit a one-out single in the Grapevine second and then reached third on an infield single from Brady Boozer, who just beat the throw to first base. Freshman LSU commit Luke Esquivel, who started the game on the mound, and Zack Goldstein picked up back-to-back RBI single to give the Mustangs a 3-2 lead.
Jarett Boswell added a third RBI single in the inning before the Panthers turned a double play – pushing the Grapevine lead to 4-2.
Esquivel made a SportsCenter worthy play in the bottom of the second with a man on. A liner was sent back to the mound and Esquivel made the catch while falling backward. He managed to make the throw to first still on his back side to double up the runner.
But the Panthers had a two-out rally with the bases loaded.
Griffin Resendez hit the two-run single to center on a 2-2 pitch that tied it up at 4-4.
Benjamin Chen would replace Esquivel on the mound after a runner reached in the third. It was only his second relief appearance all season. After a single and hit by pitch loaded the bases for the Panthers, the Mustangs tried to end the inning with a double play, but the throw to first was beat out and a run scored to give KP a 5-4 edge. The run was issued to Esquivel, who had five runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in two innings.
“It’s only my second relief all season so it was different,” said Chen, who finished with a perfect 10-0 record from the mound. “It was hot outside, but just had to bear down and get it done.”
Boozer and Esquivel had back-to-back hits in the fourth and Goldstein, last week’s GM Sports Media/Gray Wolf Promotions DFW Hitter Of The Year, drove in Boozer with an RBI sacrifice fly to center. The Mustangs tacked on two more for a 7-5 lead on an RBI from Corral and a successful double steal of home.
Kingwood Park also loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth.
The Panthers got a one-out walk before a runner was caught stealing third by Corral. Two more walks loaded the bases and Ray fielded a grounder and fired to first from short for the called third out on a bang-bang play.
KP put two more on in the sixth.
A pitch got away from Corral, but the Grapevine catcher got to the ball quick and fired to second for the out and his second caught stealing of the game. Corral would also bat 2 for 4 with two runs batted in.
“If there is a better catcher in the state, I haven’t seen him because Gianni changes the game, he changes everything involved in the game,” Webster said. “f you’re not a baseball guy, you may not notice it. You might be a baseball guy and may notice it and take it for granted but that’s just Gianni doing Gianni things, and while that’s true – it still changes the game.”
Chen finished with four innings of relief with no runs and one hit allowed.
The senior issued four walks and hit four batters, but still kept the Panthers off the board. Chen was voted state champ MVP.
“We talked in the dugout after the game.” Webster said. “He got himself into jams and got himself out of jams. Bottom line is he put up zeros.”
Added Chen, who is going to Modesto Junior College in CA., “I was in awe. I was in shock when I heard my name. I heard senior #18 – I thought I was the furthest from MVP because I had so many walks. Looking back at it, I have us a chance.”
Sam DuRard got the save in the seventh. He gave up one hit but struck out back-to-back batters to finish off the championship win.
Grapevine recorded 14 hits and left seven on base while holding Kingwood Park to six hits and 12 runners left on base.
“Unbelievably happy for our offense,” Webster said. “We kind of put ourselves in trouble on defense with a lot of free bases but we kept answering offensively. I was really proud of that. Proud to do it for the city and for the school.”
