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OUT!- Ropes’ Kade Franklin got the out in game two of the best of three UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Championship against Sunray in Dimmitt on Saturday. The Eagles won game one 17-10, lost game two 9-2 and won game three 7-3 to take the series. (Photo Courtesy of Jay Kelley)
OUT!- Ropes’ Kade Franklin got the out in game two of the best of three UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Championship against Sunray in Dimmitt on Saturday. The Eagles won game one 17-10, lost game two 9-2 and won game three 7-3 to take the series. (Photo Courtesy of Jay Kelley) -
AREA CHAMPS- The Ropes Eagles are UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Champions with a two games to one win over the Sunray Bobcats last week in Amarillo and Dimmitt. Quarterfinal opponent and game times will be posted as soon as they are available. (Photo Courtesy of Jay Kelley)
AREA CHAMPS- The Ropes Eagles are UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Champions with a two games to one win over the Sunray Bobcats last week in Amarillo and Dimmitt. Quarterfinal opponent and game times will be posted as soon as they are available. (Photo Courtesy of Jay Kelley) -
RUNDOWN- Ropes’ Braxxin Partington beat and attempted rundown in game two of the best of three UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Championship against Sunray in Dimmitt on Saturday. The Eagles won the series two games to one. (Photo Courtesy of Jay Kelley)
RUNDOWN- Ropes’ Braxxin Partington beat and attempted rundown in game two of the best of three UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Championship against Sunray in Dimmitt on Saturday. The Eagles won the series two games to one. (Photo Courtesy of Jay Kelley) -
PERSONAL BEST- Whiteface Antelope Cayden Timmons competed in the pole event at the regional meet earlier this month. Timmons placed second with a personal best jump of 12’3.00' to qualify for the state meet. (Photo Courtesy of Holly Crutcher)
PERSONAL BEST- Whiteface Antelope Cayden Timmons competed in the pole event at the regional meet earlier this month. Timmons placed second with a personal best jump of 12’3.00' to qualify for the state meet. (Photo Courtesy of Holly Crutcher) -
GAME TWO PITCHER- Bode Franklin gave up three runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks in a 9-2 Ropes Eagle loss to the Sunray Bobcats in game two of the best of three UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Championship in Dimmitt on Saturday. The Eagles recovered and won the series two games to one. (Photo Courtesy of Jay Kelley)
GAME TWO PITCHER- Bode Franklin gave up three runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks in a 9-2 Ropes Eagle loss to the Sunray Bobcats in game two of the best of three UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Championship in Dimmitt on Saturday. The Eagles recovered and won the series two games to one. (Photo Courtesy of Jay Kelley) -
ANTELOPE SHOT PUT- Whiteface High School athletes competed at the regional track meet earlier. Antelope Brighton Scoggins placed fourth in the shot out with a throw of 42’10.00'. (Photo Courtesy of Holly Crutcher)
ANTELOPE SHOT PUT- Whiteface High School athletes competed at the regional track meet earlier. Antelope Brighton Scoggins placed fourth in the shot out with a throw of 42’10.00'. (Photo Courtesy of Holly Crutcher)
The Ropes Eagles took the UIL Class 2A Area Baseball Championship over the Sunray Bobcats two games to one in the three-game series.
The Eagles won game one 17-10 in a battle of rallies on Thursday night at Amarillo High School.
Game two saw the Bobcats take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning and ride that all the way to a 9-2 win Friday afternoon in Dimmitt.
Game three, played 30 minutes after game two, had the Eagles holding a tenuous 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the sixth until a three run homer by Braxxin Partington sealed the 7-3 win.
Game1
The Eagles, playing the first game in Amarillo due to heavy rains in Dimmitt on Wednesday evening, endured a six-run rally from Sunray in the fifth inning that put them behind 10-7 before coming back with 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Bode Franklin got the win for the Eagles. He came in during the top of the fifth with the Eagles down 9-7 and gave up a run on two hits with five strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings.
Mason Marmolejo started on the mound, going 3 1/3 innings with four runs on three hits, seven strikeouts and four walks. Logan Delgado gave up five runs on three hits with two strikeouts over 1 1/3 inning of relief.
Marmolejo had four runs, three hits and three RBIs. Garrett Gilliam had four runs, four hits and three RBIs.
Braxxin Partington had a run, a hit and two RBIs. Delgado had two runs and two hits. Kade Franklin had a run, four hits and three RBIs.
Hayden Torres had a run and a hit. Brady Bryan had a run, a hit and two RBIs. Branson Beck had two runs, two hits and an RBI. Bode Franklin had a run, a hit and an RBI.
Game2
Game two saw the teams move back to Dimmitt for a what turned out to be a double-header.
Neither team could get anything going in the first inning. Sunray pitcher Tanner Van Dyk opened the second inning by issuing walks to Kade Franklin and Hayden Torres.
Brady Bryan reached on an error by Azriel Vargas to load the bases, then Branson Beck reached on an error by Luke Grajeda at third, sending Franklin home for a 1-0 Ropes lead, no outs and the bases loaded. Bode Franklin went down swinging for the first Ropes out, Mason Marmolejo grounded into a fielder’s choice to third base. Beck was out at second, but Torres scored, Bryan advanced to third and Franklin was safe at first base.
Garrett Gilliam struck out, leaving two stranded, but with the Eagles up 2-0.
Sunray answered with two runs in the bottom of the second inning.
Parker Johnson opened with a single to left field. Bode Franklin issued a walk to Grajeda, then Zahir Loya singled on a line drive to left field to bring Johnson home.
Bode Franklin issued a walk to Arnold Mendoza to load the bases before striking Van Dyk out swinging.
Uriel Ortiz hit into a fielder’s choice, Mason Marmolejo at shortstop to Kade Franklin at third base to get Loya, but Grajeda scored, Mendoza advanced to second and Ortiz was safe on first.
Vargas flied out to first right field for the final out with the scored tied at two each and two innings done. The Bobcats took the lead on a one out single by Johnson that brought Ivan De La Rosa home in the bottom of the third inning.
Sunray put up two runs in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to seal the win.
Bode Franklin took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks over three innings.
Torres allowed six runs on four hits with three strikeouts and five walks over three innings of relief. Marmolejo had a hit and an RBI. Partington had a hit. Kade Franklin had a run and a hit.
Torres had a run. Beck had an RBI.
Game3
Pitch counts became important late in game three. A high school pitcher must come out after 110 pitches per series. He is allowed to finish the batter he is facing when he reaches the maximum.
Ropes started Kade Franklin, who had not pitched in the series. Sunray started Parker Johnson, who had finished game two and had 56 pitches from the first two games in the series on him.
In addition, several possible relievers on both teams were high in the pitch count and Sunray’s Tanner Van Dyk, who had allowed only two hits with six strikeouts in game two, had only 12 pitches left on his count.
Franklin provided yeoman service, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs with four strikeouts and a walk before coming out with 105 pitches.
Sunray opened the first inning with a two run lead, however. Azriel Vargas hit a double to center field, followed by a single from Ivan De La Rosa.
Vargas scored when Eric Mendoza hit into a double play – shortstop Mason Marmolejo to second baseman Garrett Gilliam to Logan Delgado at first base for two outs. Johnson singled to left field, then Luke Grajeda reached on an error by Marmolejo and Kade Franklin hit Zahir Loya with a pitch to load the bases.
Franklin hit Arnold Mendoza with a pitch, bringing Johnson home and keeping the bases loaded. Van Dyk hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning, stranding three, but with the Bobcats leading 2-0.
Ropes went up 3-2 in the bottom of the first inning. A single from Marmolejo and walks to Gilliam and Partington loaded the bases before Delgado went down swinging for the first out.
Kade Franklin reached on an error by Eric Mendoza at second, bringing Marmolejo home and keeping the bases loaded with one out.
Hayden Torres hit a double to left field to bring Gilliam and Partington home and keep runners on second and third.
A line out to right field by Brady Bryan and a strikeout from Branson Beck left the runners stranded, but the Eagles led 3-2 and would not relinquish the lead.
Ropes extended the led to 42 in the bottom of the third inning when Hunter Torres reached second on an error by Van Dyk at first, bringing Delgado home.
The sixth inning is where things got exciting. Ropes Head Coach Blake Jackson pulled Kade Franklin at 105 pitches after the first out and put Hayden Torres, who had only 28 pitches left from the earlier game.
Torres, facing one out and the bases loaded, struck De La Rosa out, but then walked Eric Mendoza, bringing Arnold Mendoza home, cutting the Ropes lead to 4-3.
A popup from Johnson to Gilliam at second ended the inning. Sunray was in similar, if not worse, pitching trouble in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Grajeda, who had relieved Johnson, was replaced on the mound by Vargas with Marmolejo on third and Gilliam on first with one out.
Partington was up. Vargas threw ball one, ball two, strike one swinging, a foul for strike two and ball three, then Partington hit a shot over the left field wall for a three run homer to seal the Ropes lead.
Delgado struck out and Kade Franklin grounded out, but the Eagles led 7-3 with just an inning left.
Torres got the first out of the seventh inning before coming out on pitch count with a runner on first. Marmolejo finished the game with a ground out from A Mendoza and a strikeout to Van Dyk.
Kade Franklin got the win. Torres struck out one and walked two in an inning of work and Marmolejo had a strikeout in twothirds inning. Marmolejo had two runs and a hit. Gilliam had two runs and two hits. Partington had two runs, a hit and three RBIs.
Delgado had a hit. Kade Franklin had a hit and an RBI. Torres had two hits and two RBIs. Bryan had a hit.