Baseball begins second round

Wimberley High School’s Texan baseball entered the spring with high hopes for a good run in district and a dream for a championship. Now, both seem like a distant memory.

Coach Stephen Wisdom’s team completed the first of three rounds in district play on Friday, March 24 at home against league leader Boerne High School. The Texans entered the second round with a 2-3 district record and now square up against district foes in back-to-back games each week, playing home-and-home series for the remainder of the season.

This past week was Davenport High School — a team the Texans defeated at the outset of the season. The Texans were looking to earn their first victory since Fredericksburg on March 16.

Tuesday’s home contest began well enough. Wolves’ leadoff hitter Brayden Mulkey earned a walk but was thrown out two batters later on a slick 5-4-3 double play initiated by Owen O’Neal at third base.

The Texans entered their half of the inning unscathed. Senior Lane Patek stepped into the box with two outs and smashed a shot to left field, scrambling around to third base for a triple. Patek would score on a wild pitch with Cody Overall at bat for the Texan lead. The Texans led 1-0 at the conclusion of the first inning.

Before the second inning, a weather delay for lightning resulted in the suspension of the contest. The game resumed Wednesday at 6 p.m. with the Wolves at bat in the top of the second. It took only three batters to erase the deficit.

The next Davenport batter singled on the first pitch on a stinger to center field. Then lightning struck again, this time figuratively, as Wolves’ catcher Cody Rogers sent the first pitch over the wall in left field. Three hits and an error later, Davenport held a 5-1 lead.

Wimberley fought back in the second. Zach Patek took a 1-2 offering over the left field fence for a home run. Texans Brady Barbee and Bryson Young earned consecutive walks before Chase Carson reached on an infield error, scoring Barbee. Kyler Lai would bring home Young on a sacrifice fly into left field for the third run of the inning with two outs. The inning ended with the Texans behind at 4-5.

Davenport earned another score in the top of the third. The Wolves led 6-4 through the rest of the third and fourth. Neither team would score again until the fifth inning.

After a routine play for the first out in the top of the fifth, three Wolves reached on an error and two walks to load the bases. The next batter grounded a sharply hit ball to third base where Ian Naylor came up with the play, firing the ball home for the force out and two away. A walk and two batters hit by pitches later, the Texans were down 9-4. The Texans loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth but were unable to capitalize, sending the game into the top of the sixth.

Davenport had two outs with a runner at first when they went on a two out rally behind a walk and two singles, plating three for a 12-4 lead. The Texans were unable to score in the sixth and held the Wolves scoreless in the seventh. Lane Patek was hit by the first pitch he saw as leadoff then stole second base. He had stolen third when Ty Thames grounded to third — getting thrown out at first — but allowing Patek to score. Naylor was next in the order and leaned into a 3-1 offering, clearing the left field fence for a homer to make the score 12-6. The Wolves collected the third out of the inning on the next Texan at bat to win.

Coach Wisdom was succinct about the loss.

“They got 13 on first base for free, 10 by walk and another three by error,” he said. “You can’t win games when you put 13 on base.”

The difficulties continued during Friday’s matchup at Davenport. Wimberley gave up a lone run in the bottom of the first but tied the game in the top of the second. Overall led off in the Texan half of the inning with a single and moved to second on a Thames sacrifice bunt. Trent Habbit then stroked a liner to center sending Overall to third. Overall was able to score before the third out to tie the game 1-1. It was the last score of the game for the Texans.

The Texan offense went three up, three down in both the third and fourth innings while pitching continued to struggle to find the strike zone. 11 walks, one hit batsman, two errors and a dropped third strike allowing a Wolves’ batter to advance to first base added to the discomfort as the Texans lost their second game to Davenport in a four day span, 12-1. A total of 15 batters reached base without a hit on Friday while the Texans were held in check with two hits, earning no walks in the four and a half inning contest.

Wimberley (2-5 district) traveled to Bandera High School on Monday, April 3 for a 6 p.m. first pitch. The Bulldogs visit Texan Field on Thursday, April 6 set for a 6 p.m. start.