Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
For the first time in school history, the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys baseball team was in the Final Four in the state Class 1A baseball tournament. On Wednesday, May 24, four teams met at Hammond Stadium at the Centurylink Sports Complex, in Ft. Myers. This is the stadium used by the Minnesota Twins major league baseball team for spring training. It is certainly a “big-time” stadium, giving these young athletes a taste of playing in a “big-time” game. The Cowboys rode into town as perhaps an unlikely participant. Their season thus far had been an inconsistent one, full of ups and downs. However, they were riding into Ft. Myers on the wave of an eight game winning streak. According to the Cowboys' Head Coach Terry Barrs, the Cowboys were “peaking at just the right time.”
In the state semi-final game, the Cowboys faced South Walton High School from Santa Rosa Beach. The game started with MCHS Pitcher Trey Mitchell throwing an incredible game, striking out five batters in just the first two innings. At the top of the third inning, South Walton loaded the bases with three straight hits. Mitchell struck out the next batter before walking in the first run of the afternoon. Mitchell got out of that jam by striking out the next batter, then a pop fly fielded by right fielder Mookie Prince retired the side. In the bottom of the third, Drew Herring and Prince reached base on a walk and an error. Kris Allen then stepped up to the plate and brought Herring home on a sacrifice ground ball to the South Walton shortstop. South Walton responded by scoring one more run in the top of the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Herring tied the score again with a base hit that brought Jae Mitchell home. Then Kris Allen picked up his second RBI of the afternoon with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Drew Annett.
The late innings of the match turned into a defensive struggle until the bottom of the seventh and final inning. It was another familiar chapter in this story-book season. With the score tied and a potential trip to the state championship game in the balance, the “Cardiac Cowboys” stepped up to the plate. There was one out in the bottom of the seventh inning when Dustin Bass came up to bat. On his first pitch, he popped the ball up to center field. The wind caught the ball, causing two South Walton players to collide and the ball dropped to the turf. Taking full advantage of the error, Bass raced safely to third base. Tre Adams came in to replace Bass as a base runner at third base. For Adams, using his speed was nothing new. Many times he had used his legs to move the ball on the gridiron as the quarterback for the Cowboys. This time, instead of a goal line, home plate waited for him. Adams was 90 feet away from home plate and a chance to play for a first-ever state championship. Dilan Lawson stepped up to the plate. Lawson let the first pitch go by for ball one. Then on the next pitch, he connected for a line-drive base hit to short right field. Adams sprinted home, sliding in for the game winning run. The Cowboys were victorious, 4-3.
Lawson went one-for-four at the plate with one RBI. Herring was one-for-three with one RBI. Allen had two RBIs for the afternoon. Trey Mitchell, Jae Mitchell, Logan Lepper, and Prince also had hits for the Cowboys. On the mound, Trey Mitchell and Dylan Bass combined efforts for an impressive afternoon, giving up five hits, two earned runs, and striking out 12 batters.
Part one of this history-making fairy-tale was finished. The Cowboys had made it to the final game. What lay ahead would be the greatest challenge faced all year. A meeting with the number one team in the state; a giant, if you will, the Trenton High School Tigers.
The Trenton High School Tigers came into the championship game on Thursday, May 25, on a 19 game winning streak and an overall record of 26-1. They were the number one team in the state for good reason. They had made it into the championship game by defeating Sneads High School 10-0 in a shortened game the previous day.
Trenton scored first in the top of the first inning on an error. Both teams were held scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning. Lawson hit a triple on a hard ground ball to left field. Jae Mitchell brought Lawson home and reached base on an error. Annett then hit a single to center field, bringing in Jae Mitchell for the go-ahead run for the Cowboys.
Then, in the top of the fifth inning, an unfortunate chain of events occurred. With the bases loaded, a passed ball allowed a Trenton base-runner to score. Then another bad throw scored another Trenton base-runner, giving Trenton a 3-2 advantage. Neither team scored in the sixth inning. In the bottom of the seventh inning, with two outs, Prince hit a double. Then Prince stole third base, giving the Cowboys the tying run at third. Allen came up to bat and hit a ground ball to the pitcher and was thrown out at first, ending the game and the Cowboys' amazing story-book season.
The final chapter in this “fairy tale” story has ended. It didn't have the ending hoped for, but sometimes the glass slipper just doesn't quite fit; sometimes the dragon doesn't get slain. The story of the 2017 MCHS Cowboys is a story of brotherhood, loyalty, teamwork, and faithfulness through good times and bad.
The story of the 2018 Cowboys is yet to be written. The state has been put on notice. The Cowboys will saddle up and ride again......To be continued.