Mustang JV baseball splits two, and treats Humble to a thriller              
         

On Monday night the Kingwood JV team made the long haul out to Pasadena for a
match with a resilient Sam Rayburn team. Rayburn jumped on Kingwood early
scoring two runs in the first inning. What followed was an absolute pitching
duel. For Kingwood, pitcher Ricky Cratty settled down after the first and his
defense made spectacular plays all night long. However, Kingwood's hitter's
couldn't produce a big inning on Sam Rayburn's pitcher. The crowd settled in
for a great night of high school baseball.

Although hitting the ball well Kingwood could not get on the board until the
sixth inning when they finally got to Sam Rayburn's hurler. Trailing 2-0 Jake
Van Winkle led off the sixth with a line drive to right field. Dustin Walls
and Matt Stagner followed with base hits, and the bases were loaded. Kingwood
finally seemed to be getting the bats going, but the rally ended after John
Nicholson grounded out scoring the first run and Kyle Porter hit into a
double play. After Rayburn extended their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the
sixth Kingwood came to bat in the seventh primed for a comeback. Ryan Pope
led off the seventh with a double and the Mustangs appeared ready to rally
the troops. Although Pope scored on a sacrifice that was all the Mustangs
could muster, and they fell one run short.
 
Ricky Cratty pitched well enough to get the win going 6 innings, scattering 6
hits, and only allowing one earned run. Van Winkle added 2 hits and scored 1
run.

The Mustangs traveled back to the friendly confines of Andy Wells Field,
ready to take out the anger of their loss to Rayburn on the Pasadena Eagles.
With a strong wind blowing out to left field and temperatures in the high
70's, the 'Stangs had high hopes of heating up their bats again, and boy
would they ever!  The Mustangs would return Justin O' Bannon to the hill on
this beautiful night for a baseball game.

After a scoreless first inning Pasadena jumped on Kingwood pushing across the
first two runs of the game in the top of the second, but after the last out
was recorded they would be stopped dead in their tracks. Kingwood got it
going in the bottom of the second, after the first two batters were walked a
ground ball by Porter pushed the runners over. Casey Stoub, and Ricky Cratty
then delivered R.B.I. singles. The Eagles recorded the second out, but then
the floodgates were opened. Van Winkle proceeded to get hit by a pitch,
followed by Walls and Stagner both nailing R.B.I. singles. Freshman, J.R.
Carbonell then doubled in a run followed by a walk and a 2 R.B.I. single by
Porter. After Porter stole second and third, Casey Stoub doubled him in,
Ricky Cratty then singled Stoub in. Raymond Inn and Michael Awe then received
back-to-back walks. Pasadena then made a pitching change they would very soon
regret. With the bases loaded, the new hurler toed the rubber and on his
first pitch which was greeted with a Walls grand slam. The next batter was
retired, but the Mustangs had hung a fifteen spot in the second scoring 11
runs with two outs. The Eagles got three more in the third, but they were
greeted with another huge inning from the JV'ers in the home half of the
fourth. Inn and Awe started it off with singles, and after another man got on
Matt Bardwell added a single knocking in two. After another out the Mustangs
again started a two out rally with Stoub singling, Cratty getting hit by a
pitch, Phillip Gilreath walking and adding yet another R.B.I. to his yearly
total. Awe added another single, and Walls smashed a triple driving in two
more runs. Bardwell singled again and Carbonell walked before Pope and John
Rankin drove both of them home with R.B.I. singles. The scoring finally came
to a halt, and the Mustangs held on to an easy 27-5 win. The game was
finished off with Walls and John Nicholson both getting an inning of work on
the mound, and Justin O' Bannon received his fourth district win. The hit
parade was led by Walls, (3-5, grand slam, triple, single, 7 R.B.I.'s, and 4
runs) Inn, (2-3) Stoub, (3-3, 3 R.B.I.'s) Awe, (2-2, 2R.B.I.'s) Bardwell,
(2-2, 3 R.B.I.'s) and John Rankin who brought his season batting average to
.667.

The Pasadena game, although a blowout, would be used to prepare the Mustang
JV'ers for the big game against Humble on Saturday afternoon.

Kingwood crossed the bridge on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon to play district
leader, and archrival Humble. The Mustangs, who were 6-2 in district good for
second place in district, sent Carbonell to the mound to try to avenge his
loss to Humble earlier in the year. The Wildcats, who were 7-1 in district
good for first place, countered with Casey Campbell.  This game would be a
rematch between the two pitchers who battled it out in the first meeting
between these two teams. The pitchers were set the hitters were geared up and
the fans were ready for a showdown between Kingwood and Humble.

On this sunny Saturday afternoon the crowds would not be disappointed, as
this game would prove to be an outstanding matchup of skill and mental
toughness. Humble pounced first getting one run in the first, but Kingwood
would return the favor in the second. With one out,  Carbonell helped himself
by doubling to left-center, another out was made and Porter stepped to the
plate and ripped a 2-2 fastball into the gap in right-center scoring
Carbonell. Cratty then singeled and Porter advanced to third. Cratty advanced
to second on a rundown and Porter scored to put the Mustangs up 2-1. Humble
threatened in their half of the second, but Porter made an unassisted double
play to get out of the jam. Kingwood would be held scoreless until the fifth
and although Carbonell was tough throughout the game Humble managed four runs
in the third. Kingwood pushed another run across in the fifth after Cratty
singled, Walls drove him in with a tough two out hit, but that was all the
'Stangs could accumulate. Freshman sensation Zach Tumlinson struck out the
side in Humble's half of the fifth, which gave Kingwood a chance in the last
two innings. The Mustangs couldn't muster anything in the sixth while Humble
collected two more runs to run the score to 7-3 heading to the seventh. The
first two men were retired in the seventh for Kingwood, but then Walls and
Stagner were walked, and the 'Stangs were alive. Bardwell then calmly stepped
to the plate, and slugged an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall to pull
Kingwood within one. The Kingwood fans that had made the trek across the
bridge gave Bardwell a standing ovation and the Mustangs were alive once
again. Stoub then delivered a pinch-hit single into left field, and the
Mustang dugout was absolute chaos in anticipation of an improbable comeback.
The Wildcats then brought in stud reliever Josh Ruffin to get the job done,
but Kingwood wasn't through as Pope patiently drew a walk to put the winning
run on base. Porter stepped to the plate needing a base hit to tie the
ballgame up at 7 apiece, but his opponent, Ruffin who was equally intense had
to have an out. Porter, after fouling off a pitch and working the count to
2-2, calmly delivered a game-tying single into right field, as the Kingwood
fans and players went into pandemonium as the Mustangs had rallied all the
way back to tie it up. The next out was recorded, and the showdown was headed
to the last half of the seventh tied 7-7. Though the leadoff hitter doubled
off of Cratty, who was now pitching, the 'Cats failed to execute a squeeze
play and missed an opportunity to win the game. The game headed to extra
innings with enough emotion to be soaked up in about 5 games. Kingwood failed
to score in their half of the eighth, and after Cratty retired out the first
two batters in the bottom of the eighth the game appeared headed to the
ninth, but Guy McGriff doubled, and Ruffin came to the plate. The mustang
defense bore down but Ruffin delivered a game-wining single to left field as
the Wildcats prevailed 8-7 in eight innings.

For Kingwood Carbonell pitched well going 4 innings, giving up 4 runs on only
6 hits, Striking out 6, and walking only 3. Tumlinson was stellar in relief
giving up 2 runs on 1 hit, striking out 5 in two innings. Cratty also had a
fine performance giving up 1 run on 2 hits, and striking out two in two
innings of work. The hitting stars for Kingwood were Walls, (2-4, 1 R.B.I.)
Bardwell, (3-run home run) Cratty, (2-4, 1 run) and Porter (2-4,double, 2
R.B.I.'s). Stagner, Carbonell, Pope, and Stoub also added hits.

The Mustangs fought hard but came up with a 1-2 record this week. On Tuesday
the South Houston Trojans come to town, and on Thursday the JV'ers will
travel to play Dobie for the last time.