By LARRY BOWEN
BELLVILLE — Brazos Christian earned its third consecutive trip to the state baseball tournament Monday, helped greatly on the final step by a pair of players who were in junior high during the previous two visits.
The Eagles took an early lead and kept adding runs, then got a good relief effort from freshman pitcher Kade Woods to beat Sugar Land Logos Prep 8-6 at Payton Field in the TAPPS Class 3A quarterfinals.
Brazos Christian (12-8-1) advanced to the state semifinal round to face either Houston Cypress Christian or Beaumont Legacy Christian, who will play their quarterfinal Tuesday. The semifinal is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the Waco ISD Complex. The Eagles reached the state final last year, falling to Bullard Brook Hill 7-5.
“It’s wonderful to get to state,” Brazos Christian coach Wayne Stone said. “It’s hard to get there. This game could have gone either way. Both teams fought hard.”
Logos Prep Academy, which was seeking its first trip to state, finished at 13-11.
The Eagles never trailed in the quarterfinal, but the Lions applied plenty of pressure. It produced a strong finish by Brazos Christian, including key contributions from Woods and fellow freshman Clay Norton.
Brazos Christian led 3-2 before scoring three runs in the fifth inning. No. 9 hitter Norton delivered a two-run double and scored on a throwing error to give the Eagles some breathing room.
“I’m a firm believer that you’ve got to take advantage of your chances, and we did,” Stone said. “That [Norton’s double] was huge. You can see that he had a lot more confidence his next time to the plate.”
Logos Prep answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, finally getting to hard-throwing lefty starter John Gillett, who struck out eight, walked eight and allowed four hits to earn the victory. Woods moved from shortstop to pitcher with one out and two runners on, getting a fly ball and a strikeout to preserve a 6-4 lead.
The Eagles added two much-needed runs in the seventh, with senior Justin Duewall stroking a two-run double that scored Norton and Woods.
Logos Prep tested Woods in the bottom of the seventh, collecting consecutive two-out singles to pull within 8-6 and bring the potential tying run to the plate. Woods enticed leadoff batter Cooper Hicks to ground out to end the game and secure a save.
“Kade’s a very confident young man, very competitive,” Stone said. “He’s had that confidence all year long.”
Brazos Christian banged out 15 hits, getting three apiece from Sam Thomasson, Gillett and Woods. Gillett’s second double in three innings drove in a run, and Thomasson smacked an RBI triple in the fourth.
Truitt Baldwin and Duewall had two hits each.
Brazos Christian 8, Logos Prep 6
Brazos Christian 011 130 2 — 8 15 4
Logos Prep 002 020 2 — 6 7 4
Mitchell Allen, Sammy Kuntz (5) and Jacob Ross. John Gillett, Kade Woods (5) and Truitt Baldwin. W — Gillett. L — Allen. Save — Woods. 2B — BC: Woods, Justin Duewall, Gillett 2, Clay Norton. 3B — BC: Sam Thomasson. Records: Brazos Christian 12-8-1, Logos Prep 13-11. Time: 2:45. Attendance: 108 (est.)
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics
