Roughnecks stave off Mustangs for 9-7 win
MARSHALL, Texas—Houdini would be proud.
The early 20th century illusionist has nothing on these White Oak Roughnecks and their collective art of deception.
Elijah Trest may have been primary conjurer, but he had his accomplices in Kason Kienzle and Collin Bower. Together they pulled off the rarely-witnessed hidden-ball trick.
That small bit of trickeration enabled the Roughnecks to stave off a furious rally by the Hughes Springs Mustangs, resulting in a heart-stopping 9-7 series-clinching victory and advancement to the fourth round.
The Roughnecks, which raced out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning, held on for dear life to knock off a highly-touted Hughes Springs squad that came into the best-ofthree series on a 15-game win streak.
A methodical Mustang comeback was about to reach its fruition in the bottom half of inning six when the Roughnecks called on some past history and used it to their advantage.
“We’ve played Hughes Springs enough in the past to know they have a lot of first and third offense. It was back during Elijah’s freshman year we went over there and they put it on us with the first and third offense. We worked pretty hard on how to defend it this week in practice,” White Oak’s Skylar Stagner said.
Hughes Springs had trimmed an eight-run deficit down to one by the sixth when Riley McKinney was hit on the back shoulder by a Jacob Young offering. Cameron Johns was inserted to courtesy run for McKinney at first with Andrew Gaul, who was also hit by pitch, standing on third as the potential tying run.
Johns took an exaggerated lead off first base roaming back to the area where the artificial turf connects to the right field grass. It was as if he was daring the Roughnecks to try to tag him out. Any prolonged effort in doing so might enable Johns to bolt home from third and tie the score.
The Roughneck infield gathered up at the pitcher’s mound, almost reminiscent to an old football huddle, and broke for their respective positions. Kienzle, who was playing second, and first baseman Bower began running toward Johns.
With all attention seemingly fixated on the circumstances going down between first and second, the eventual developments taking place at third stole the show and shocked the crowd.
Trest, backing up toward third with focus locked on what was taking place near right field, spun around with ball in glove and caught Gaul, who had drifted too far down the third base line, for the unsuspecting third out.
White Oak picked up a crucial run in the top half of the seventh. It was the first noise by the Roughnecks since their 25-minute, eight-run, five-hit first frame. White Oak paraded 13 to the plate and chased Hughes Springs starter Alex Bruce after just 16 pitches.
“We got a comfortable lead and it was one of those situations we seemed to stop playing to win and started to play more not to lose. That kind of got us in a bad spot, because we knew they had a good hitting team,” Stagner said. “That first and third defensive play was probably the game changer. We’re on to the fourth round. It’s just one step at a time. And this was a big step today.”
The Roughnecks (27-7) improve to 6-0 in the playoffs, having swept Troup, Queen City and Hughes Springs. They will now await the winner of the series between Pottsboro and Grand Saline.
Hughes Springs closes out its season at 26-4.
The Roughnecks finished the evening with nine runs on seven hits and were able to overcome four fielding and or throwing errors. Young was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Layton Anderson belted a three-run double off the wall in left. Trest doubled in a run, while Kienzle had a couple singles with a run driven in. Trenton Gross had the other Roughneck hit.
Hughes Springs wound up with seven runs, eights and two errors. Alex Bruce blasted a lead off solo shot to left in the third. Golden rapped two doubles and plated a run. Gaul cracked a two-bagger, while McKinney singled twice and Triston Hickey and Bo McEntire collected hits.