With ominous clouds in the sky and intermittent showers in the area, the Kingwood Mustang Varsity baseball team opened their 2003 season last Thursday in grand style. The Mustangs, coming off a marvelous 29-10 season in 2002, picked up right where they left off by defeating the Westfield Mustangs 8-5 and the Sam Rayburn Texans 5-1 in first day action of the Fielder's Choice Humble/Kingwood Tournament at Andy Wells Field.

After graduating nine seniors from last year's Cinderella team, Coach David Denny has blended a core of seasoned returning lettermen with some fresh young talent to produce a squad that is ranked 10th in the area and should be a force to be reckoned with in District 22-5A. The Mustangs did not disappoint on this dark, damp day as they exhibited surprising power and solid pitching depth.

Crafty veteran Michael Hopper earned the start in the home opener and yielded just four hits, struck out five, and gave up 5 runs while picking up the win during his five inning stint. Westfield took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning and extended that deficit to 3-0 in the third. The Kingwood offense started slow, but finally responded in the bottom of the third with their first hit of the game - a lead off double by Kyle Porter. But the Westfield pitcher worked his way out of a jam by retiring the next three batters and leaving Porter stranded at third base. Hopper sat down the side in order in the top of the fourth, before the Mustang bats finally came alive. Sophomore Johnny Whittleman, starting his first varsity game, led off the bottom of the fourth with a line drive homerun over the right field fence. After Matt Bardwell and Hopper threw consecutive walks, Dustin Walls ignited the partisan crowd with a bomb over the left-centerfield wall to give Kingwood a 4-3 lead. The pesky Westfield team did not flinch. They regained the lead in the top of the fifth by scoring two runs on a lead off double, an error and a run scoring ground out. Down 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Kingwood battled back as another rookie starter, Kenneth Negron reached base on an error and advanced to third on another error. Casey Stoub bounced into a fielder's choice in which Negron was cut down at the plate for the first out. Whittleman then laced a single to center, scoring Stoub who had stolen second. With the score tied 5-5, Renato Bringas walked, and Hopper grounded into a fielder's choice scoring Whittleman with the go ahead run. Walls worked a base on balls, before Ryan Pope padded the margin with a single coupled with a two-base error in which he attempted to circle the bases, but was nailed at the dish to end the inning. After the dust had settled, the Mustangs were up 8-5. Jimmy Jordan took the mound for Kingwood in the sixth inning and struck out three and issued one walk while holding Westfield scoreless over the last two innings. The Mustang hitting attack was paced by Whittleman (2-3, homerun, single), Porter (2-3, 2 doubles), and Walls (1-2, homerun, walk).

Immediately following the home opener, Kingwood took the field to face a familiar foe from last year's district - the Sam Rayburn Texans. Sophomore Blake Hancock was on the hill for the Mustangs while the Texans countered with lefty Jonathan Runnels. Due to tournament rules, Kingwood lost the coin flip to determine the home team and was designated the visitor at their own stadium, but that certainly would not affect the outcome of this ball game. The Mustangs were warmed up and ready to jump out early. After a scoreless first, Porter and Pope opened the second inning with back to back singles and Bringas smacked his first dinger of the year over the leftfield wall to stake the homeboys to a 3-0 lead. Stoub hustled to first on an error and scored following a walk to Hopper, and a run scoring single by Gregg Gossett, to increase the lead to 4-0. Sam Rayburn touched Hancock for two singles sandwiched around a walk to score their only run of the game in the third inning. The Mustangs got that run back in the top of the fifth when Bardwell went downtown with his first homer of the season. After a 30 minute rain delay in the top of the sixth, the umpires called the game due to inclement weather. Hancock turned in a fine performance in his first outing with the varsity. He pitched four innings, allowed three hits, one run, and gave up two walks to garner the victory. Jonathan Beaty, who relieved Hancock in the fifth, laid a goose egg on the Texans. He struck out one and walked one. The offensive leaders were Hopper (2-2, double single, walk), Porter (2-3, 2 singles), Bardwell (1-2 homerun, walk), and Bringas (1-3, homerun).

Rain washed out the second day of the tournament, however the Varsity team was back in action on Saturday to face the Austin Westlake Chaps in Humble. Again the Mustangs put crooked numbers on the scoreboard early. Porter singled to start the second inning. Justin O'Bannon drew a base on balls and Negron moved the runners into scoring position with a ground out. After a base on balls to Stoub, Hopper lined a 2 RBI single to right with both runners advancing a base on an error. Pope followed with another 2 RBI single to run the score to 4-0. Kingwood added another run on a bases loaded throwing error for a 5-0 lead. The Chaps were able to push across one run in the top of the third courtesy of two errors and a single. The Mustangs retaliated in the bottom half of the third when Negron reached via an error, Hopper singled and Whittleman walked to load the bases. Ricky Cratty drilled a bases clearing triple to make the score 8-1. The Mustangs added two insurance runs in the fifth inning when E.J. Leal tripled, Walls singled, and Porter doubled. The Chaps fought back in the top of the sixth by scoring five runs, but ran out of gas and Kingwood prevailed 10-7. O'Bannon pitched five solid innings and allowed just three hits and two walks, while striking out two. Daniel Edwards started the sixth and was relieved by Zach Tumlinson, who retired the last batter to preserve the win. Kingwood, who banged out eleven hits, were lead by Porter (3-4 double, 2 singles), Cratty (2-3, triple, single), Hopper (2-3, 2 singles), and Walls (2-4, 2 singles). The Mustangs recorded three wins with no losses in the tournament, but were unable to advance any further because of time constraints resulting from rainouts on the previous two days.

By: Todd Porter