Medina Valley edges Mac in bizarre bi-district game
Knights rally with back-to-back homers in fifth, but comeback unable to combat two unusual ump calls
Shortstop Eric Worden is congratulated after his three-run homer in the fifth inning brought the Knights to within two runs at 5-3. Photo by Joseph Cardenas.
May 5, 2018
Two umpire calls in today’s bi-district playoff game brought much excitement to the bi-district playoff contest between the host Knights and the visiting Medina Valley Panthers. Unfortunately, both calls went against the home team as the Knights lost the game 5-4 to end their season.
Trailing 5-0 at Hyde Park High School, the varsity staged a furious comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior shortstop and clean-up hitter Eric Worden belted a three-run home run to drive home Koehler Vandament and Trinidad De La Garza. Senior designated hitter Cole Ross followed Worden’s homer with one of his own. Following a single by starting pitcher Mason Bryant and a double by right-fielder Alec Worden, the Knights had runners on second and third with two outs and a chance to tie the game or take the lead.
The umpire rules Mason Bryant out for offensive interference to end the bottom of the fifth inning. Photo by Joseph Cardenas.
Senior first baseman Alex Baylor hit a foul ball that Mason Bryant made contact with, prompting the umps to make an offensive interference call that ended the inning. The interference call was the second umpire call that hurt the Knights with runners in scoring position and two outs.
In the top of the third inning when Medina Valley had the bases loaded with two outs, Bryant induced a swinging third strike from Panther DH Dylan Fillinger on a breaking pitch that bounced in the dirt. Because the pitch hit the ground, Fillinger ran toward first where he would have to be forced out.
In video footage posted to Twitter, Knight catcher Charlie Joe Owen appeared to choose an easier force out option by stepping on home plate finalize the third out by forcing the runner coming from third base. The home plate umpire ruled, however, that Owen did not touch the plate which allowed both Panther baserunners to score and give the Panthers an early 2-0 lead.
In the sixth and seventh innings, relief pitchers Richard Fulgham for the Panthers and Eric Worden for the Knights retired their opponents without any more runs scoring, and the game ended Panthers 5, Knights 4.
All of us at MacJournalism would like to congratulate the baseball team on its successful season, which included capturing the program’s eighth straight division title. We wish all of the seniors continued success on the diamond and everywhere else their future takes them.
