O’Bannon Leads Mustangs to Win over Pasadena

Justin O’Bannon pitched 3 innings of one hit no run baseball while striking out four and hitting two homeruns to lead the Mustangs to a 13-4 victory.  Ricky Cratty took his 3-0 record to the mound but gave up 5 hits and 4 runs (2 earned) in three innings.  Cratty struck out one and did not walk a batter.  With Kingwood leading 5-4 after three innings, Coach Denny made the switch to O’Bannon.  Kingwood scored in the second inning when Michael Flower doubled in Ricky Cratty who had reached base when Pasadena infielder’s misplayed his pop fly.  Kingwood scored four runs in the third inning.  Pendleton lined a single to center and David Hoke reached on a bunt single to the left side.  JB Sowyrda drove in Pendleton with a ground ball out to short.  After Cratty and Buckalo walked, Dustin Walls hit a sacrifice fly to center.  Flower then lined a single to left that drove in two more runs.  In the fourth, Kingwood went ahead 6-4.  Ryan Pope doubled to left and scored on David Hoke’s sacrifice fly.  Kingwood scored three more in the fifth.  O’Bannon led off with his first homerun of the year, a line shot to left that followed a long homerun foul just two pitches earlier.  After a Buckalo single, a Walls single and a Michael Flower hit by the pitch which loaded the bases, Justin Murphy delivered a pinch-hit two run double to make the score 9-4.  In the sixth Kingwood scored 4 more.  O'Bannon drove his second homerun of the day to left field scoring Sowyrda who had doubled off the top of the left centerfield wall leading off the inning.  Buckalo who collected his second hit of the game would score the third run on an error.  Ryan Pope drove in the fourth run with a sacrifice fly, scoring Dustin Walls who had reached on an error.  Dustin Walls pitched a scoreless seventh inning giving up one hit and one walk.  Kingwood’s record now stands at 10-4 and takes on Humble on Friday.