Tate Hendley, Idalou baseball bounce back to run-rule Shallowater
IDALOU — There was little question Tate Hendley was going back on the mound.
In the bottom of the third inning of Saturday's District 2-3A baseball game at the Idalou ISD Baseball Complex, Hendley drove in Idalou's fifth run of the day with an RBI triple. During the play, a relay throw from Shallowater missed the mark, hitting the home plate umpire in the head.
The umpire was taken to the locker room, delaying the game an hour as another ref made his way from O'Donnell to help conclude the contest.
While Shallowater opted to take starter Chris Salazar out of the game when play resumed, Thomas Brockman wasn't about to bench his. Aside from the team's limited arm options among its 10-man roster, Hendley is the team's ace, whether it be as a starter or in long relief.
It helped that Hendley had a 6-0 advantage when he returned to the mound. Thanks to the free-swinging Wildcats finding the holes, and some miscues from Shallowater in the outfield, Idalou came away with a 10-0 win in a five-inning game that took three hours to complete.
"He's the guy, man," Brockman said of Hendley. "He's one of our guys and he's one of the best. He's been on that bump long enough that he knows how he's feeling, so I trust him. And if he feels good, I'm gonna give him a chance to go out there.
"In a game where he's doing that to (Shallowater), they can swing it, and so his ability to keep that zero up there, I'm gonna give him a chance to do that because I think he's earned it 100 percent."
Hendley worked out of a precarious position in the top of the third. Shallowater had runners at the corners with one out, but Hendley forced a pair of flyouts to thwart the rally.
Well more than an hour elapsed between pitches for the junior southpaw. But Hendley kept his same formula — which is no formula — to stay ready to get back out on the mound.
"It was just the same mindset all the way through," Hendley said. "Just kept my mindset. Kind of rested but kept moving a little bit. I'm not really used to delays like that, so I just had to keep my composure and just fight through it."
Saturday was Hendley's second start of the season. Because of the options for Idalou (12-4 overall, 3-1 district), Brockman has opted to keep him as the spot guy this season, allowing Hendley to pitch multiple times a week, depending on the situation, and avoiding wasting all his pitches in one game.
A couple of misplayed balls in the Shallowater (12-7-1, 3-1) outfield allowed Idalou to take control early. And with Hendley dealing — he scattered three hits and three walks, striking out seven — the Mustangs couldn't muster much of an answer.
"We've got to have our bats moving a little bit better," Shallowater head coach Ben Huffman said. "We just didn't swing it very well. Didn't see the ball out of the hand, I felt like today. We've got to make sure we're really hammering on that."
The victory was key in multiple areas for the Wildcats. For starters, it was a bounce-back after Tuesday's loss to Slaton. Cooper Ross and Brockman said the loss to the Tigers boiled down to well-hit balls that just happened to find their way into the defense's gloves.
It also creates some intrigue in the district. Through play on Saturday, Slaton sits atop the 2-3A standings with Shallowater — who will visit the Tigers on Tuesday — and Idalou each a game back in the loss column.
The Wildcats also overcame the stigma of playing Shallowater, the cream of the crop in the district for several years now.
"I think it was really good," Ross said, "because everyone in our district thinks, 'Oh, Shallowater, we're not gonna play because they're Shallowater. They're just gonna beat us.' But we actually came out here like we're gonna put our foot on their throat and we're not going to take it off. And I think that's what we did today."
District 2-3A baseball
Idalou 10, Shallowater 0 (5)
Shallowater 000 00 — 0 3 1
Idalou 312 13 — 10 10 0
Chris Salazar, C Swanson (3) and Hutson Briseno (5). Tate Hendley. W — Hendley. L — Salazar. 2B — Idalou, Cooper Ross, Derek Cantu and Eric Garcia. 3B — Idalou, Hendley.
Records: Idalou 12-4, 3-1; Shallowater 12-7-1, 3-1.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tate Hendley, Idalou baseball bounce back to run-rule Shallowater
