'Just go up there and win it': Blake Mitchell's 10th inning single pushes Sinton to win
SINTON — Blake Mitchell will likely face similar situations as his career progresses past high school, whether it's on a college field or on a professional diamond. And when Sinton needed Texas' top high school catching prospect the most, he came through.
On a hot, humid night at Gene Kasprzyk Field, Mitchell caught the game's first seven innings and then walked onto the mound for the final three. And when he walked to the plate in the 10th inning with two outs and the bases loaded against Calallen, he was drained but wanting to find a little more.
He found it when he slapped a two-out game-winning single to left field that scored Nick Flores and gave the Pirates a 2-1 victory against the Wildcats in the first game of a best-of-three Class 4A area round series. The pitch before, Mitchell disagreed with the umpire's call on a second strike, but refocused and proved again why he is not only a pro prospect but one of the state's top players regardless of classification.
"I was trying to hit the ball hard on the ground, hit it through the middle of the field," said Mitchell, who was 1 for 4 at the plate with an RBI, two walks, a stolen base and also had seven strikeouts in three innings on the mound. "I got down 0-2 early but I was still hunting fastball, and got it over the plate and hit it right back over the middle. You can't change what the umpire calls. I didn't agree with it but you can't change it, just go up there and win it and just get it over with."
The series will resume at Calallen at 7 p.m. on Friday as the Pirates look to eliminate the Wildcats from the postseason for the third straight season.
Thursday's highlights
Hits were hard to come by on Thursday as Sinton starter Braeden Brown and Dawson Byars dueled for the first seven innings. The Wildcats struck first as Ysaih Sanchez scored on a Tres Vasquez single in the third, an inning that was extended by a Sinton error. The Pirates tied the game in the bottom half of the inning as Mitchell scored on a sacrifice fly by Kash Wood. After that, both teams had opportunities but neither could cash in until the Pirates did in the 10th. Calallen had runners in scoring position in the fifth, seventh, eighth and 10th and did not push a run across. Sinton, meanwhile, had runners in scoring position in the sixth and the bases loaded in the ninth but could not end the game.
Thursday's stars
Mitchell earned the pitching victory, giving up one hit, four walks and had seven strikeouts in three innings. No Sinton batter had multiple hits as Marco Gonzalez, Jaquae Stewart, Flores and Aidan Moody each had hits. Stewart drew three walks, one intentional, and also was hit by a pitch, reaching base on four of his five plate appearances. Brown finished the night without a decision, throwing seven innings, giving up one unearned run on four hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. Calallen's Tres Vasquez was 3 for 5 and had three of Calallen's five hits. Byars was solid on the mound, throwing seven innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
They said it
Sinton coach Adrian Alaniz on what he learned about his team after the win: "It showed a test of character, it showed the grit and tenacity of trying to get something together in order to win that ballgame. I thought both teams played well enough to win the game. Fortunately we were the victor, and in order to give ourselves the chance to get Blake Mitchell back up to the plate with a 2-out bases loaded scenario. I'm just really proud of the way our guys competed."
Calallen coach Steven Chapman on his team's performance in the loss: "We played good. They played hard. We got good pitching, we just got behind on the hitters in the last inning and had to serve one up and that's the way it goes. (They) know we can compete with them, and we are still in it because we got a two out of three series and we still have a chance."
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Blake Mitchell's 10th inning single give Sinton win vs. Calallen
