Abilene Wylie withstands Monterey baseball comeback attempt to sweep region quarterfinal series
MIDLAND — It wouldn't be a matchup of District 4-5A baseball teams without an order of drama.
Abilene Wylie held a 4-1 lead over Monterey through six innings of play in the second game of their region quarterfinal playoff series Saturday afternoon at Ernie Johnson Field. Having won the first game of the series on Friday, the Bulldogs were just three outs away from doing away with the Plainsmen.
After giving up a run in the top of the first, Wylie pitcher Sam Walker settled in, keeping the Plainsmen bats quiet. But Monterey had one last chance to keep its season alive, and used it.
Will Collier and Ja'Marcus Smith each singled to begin the top of the seventh. They found themselves at third and second base, respectively, with one out, a big inning waiting to happen.
Wylie coach Grant Martin's anxiety heightened. The steady arm of Walker had done its job. It was time to turn to the freshman.
Colby Garrett did what he had to. Monterey scored a pair of runs to tighten the gap but was unable to get the third. Garrett reeled in a hard line drive off the bat of Carter Bovkoon for the final out, then was lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates as the Bulldogs celebrated a 4-3 victory and the 2-0 series sweep.
"He's just been a guy that he's kind of coming in those spots and had success here lately," Martin said of Garrett, "and he's just a guy that we really trust. Sam did a great job getting us the rest of the way. The kids, man, the team just held together."
Wylie (23-11-1) responded to Monterey's run in the first with three of their own in the bottom half. In back-to-back innings to open the game, the Bulldogs loaded the bases looking to bust it open early. Jackson Jolly got out of it relatively clean, keeping it to a 4-1 game.
That would be the majority of the offense Saturday until the deciding frame. Wylie went down in order in each of the next three innings while Monterey had just three base runners in innings three through six combined.
It wasn't surprising to the two head coaches that both games were close — Wylie won the opener 4-2 — as their three regular-season meetings, each won by Monterey, were decided by four total runs.
"We talked earlier this week about the familiarity that we have between each other," Monterey coach Ralph Ramon said. "Wylie knows us and we know them. They were just the tougher team today and we made some mistakes. You give a team mistakes like that they're gonna take advantage of it, but our kids continued to fight. That's what they've been doing all year."
Monterey's sweep of the regular season was a sticking point for Wylie, the Bulldogs looking to return the favor in the games that had more importance.
"I think they were prepared to play against a very good team and I was proud of that," Martin said. "I was proud of their poise, their commitment to practice and just sticking together. That was the best thing, and that's the thing you want as a coach is just a team to play as a team. That's exactly what happened."
Wylie advances to the region semifinals, where it'll take on Argyle.
The Plainsmen finished the season with a 20-19 record, advancing in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
"We're never out until the last out's made," Ramon said. "And even right there in the last inning, we continued to fight and, again, that's just the expectation that our seniors put forth and can't thank them enough."
Region I-5A quarterfinal baseball
Game 2: Abilene Wylie 4, Monterey 3
Monterey 100 000 2 — 3 6 0
Wylie 310 000 x — 4 4 3
Jackson Jolly and Brody Cantu (7). Sam Walker and Colby Garrett (7). W — Walker. L — Jolly. S — Garrett. 2B — Wylie, Tye Briscoe. 3B — Wylie, Reese Borho.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Abilene Wylie withstands Monterey baseball comeback attempt to sweep region quarterfinal series
