The Cowboys’ return to Ft. Myers

Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.

For the second season in a row, the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys baseball team won the Region Three championship. For the second season in a row, the MCHS Cowboys baseball team found themselves in the Final Four of Class 1A baseball teams vying for the coveted state championship. For the second season in a row, the MCHS Cowboys baseball team played in the state championship game. For the second season in a row, the MCHS Cowboys came up just short in the championship game.

The Cowboys' quest at Hammond Stadium, the spring home of the Minnesota Twins of the American League of Major League Baseball, began with a rematch against last season's state champions, the Tigers of Trenton High School. The Cowboys wasted little time heating up the bats. In the bottom of the first inning, Cowboy lead-off batter Dylan Bass was on base when pitcher Dilan Lawson hit a line drive to left center field to bring Bass home for the first Cowboy run of the contest. Later in the inning, Cowboy third baseman Logan Lepper stepped up to the plate and drove in two more runs with a base hit. The first inning ended with the Cowboys ahead 3-0. After more fine pitching by the Cowboy right-hander, Lawson held the Tigers scoreless in the top of the second inning, the Cowboys were again up to bat. The second inning began with Dawson Rutherford hitting a stand-up double. Dylan Bass brought Rutherford home with an RBI single. The score was 4-0 in favor of the Cowboys after two complete innings. The Tigers managed to get on the scoreboard with one run in the top of the third inning.

The Cowboys faced a bit of a scare in the top of the fifth inning when the Tigers loaded the bases with no outs. Trenton only managed to score one run through, and the score was 4-2 after five innings. Drew Herring came in to pitch in relief of Lawson in the top of the sixth inning. Then, with one out in the top of the sixth inning, Mother Nature decided to have her say in the matter and with lightning and thunder around and rain coming down, play was delayed for over seven hours. Once play resumed, Herring settled in and fanned two Tiger batters to retire the side in the sixth inning. Going into the top of the seventh inning with a 4-2 advantage, the Cowboys only needed three quick outs in order to pave the way to another championship game appearance. Two fly balls hit to right field were easily handled by Lawson (now playing right field) for outs one and two. Then Herring threw three strikes to register his third strike-out in two innings to finish the game and seal a Cowboy victory.

Dylan Bass went one-for-two at the plate with one RBI. Lawson had one hit in his three at-bats, with one RBI. Lepper went two-for-three and two RBIs.

Lawson and Herring combined efforts on the mound for the Cowboys, giving up five hits, one earned run and three walks. The two Cowboy pitchers struck out four batters.

Because of weather, the championship game was postponed until Monday, May 28. In the championship game, the Cowboys faced the Tiger Sharks of Port St. Joe, who had defeated the Blountstown High School Tigers in the semi-final game. This championship game had two opponents who were very similar. Port St. Joe came into the championship game with a 17-12 record while the Cowboys' record was 17-11-1. In the championship game, the Cowboys struggled at the plate, primarily because of very good defensive play on the part of the Tiger Sharks. The game started with Herring on the mound for the Cowboys. Herring was sharp, throwing two strikeouts in the first inning.  In the top of the second inning, the Cowboys threatened when Lepper reached base with a base hit to left field. Jay Mitchell reached base on a throwing error, but the inning ended with two Cowboys stranded on the corners. In the bottom half of the second inning, the Tiger Sharks scored one run to get on the scoreboard. The Tiger Sharks added two more runs on a couple of back-to-back base hits to pull ahead with a 3-0 score. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Tiger Sharks added one more insurance run. Dylan Bass came in to relieve Herring on the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning and soon the Cowboys were facing disaster. With two outs and the bases loaded with Tiger Sharks, Bass managed to get out of the inning without giving up any more runs. The Cowboys were not going to give up without a fight and in the top of the seventh inning, with one out, Mitchell hit a deep ball to right field that probably would have been a home run in any other stadium. The ball fell just short of the wall at around 400 feet. The hit was enough to merit a triple for Mitchell. Then Herring hit a hard line drive that was caught with a great catch by a Tiger Shark defender. The inning ended with Mitchell stranded at third base.

Despite the disappointing loss, the Cowboys had another successful season. For the first time, the Cowboys made it to the championship game in two consecutive seasons. On more than one occasion during the season, the Cowboys showed a kind of determination in the face of adversity that would be an inspiration to anyone. That kind of determination will surely serve these young men throughout their lives.

"Disappointed we didn't get the last win, but that can't overshadow what they have accomplished as a program. Personally, I would like to thank the parents that have been involved over the years, without their dedication and confidence in me to lead their kids since little league, we wouldn't be where we are today, so thank you parents for your support.

"As far as the kids go, if you were on our bus ride home last night, you would understand how special they are, we had a couple young guys with us (young as in 10-year-olds), we never had to worry about those young ears being around our upset and emotional guys. By the time we got to Ocala, the entire bus (including those 10-year-olds) were singing along with the radio about as loud as Coach Fletcher and I could take. Our seniors have been led to be community-minded and that was evident as the community showed up in mass to support them time and time again. Regional Championships were special, huge hometown crowds, really the best experience a high school baseball player experiences.

"As for the program future, our underclassmen have huge shoes to fill. To do so, they will have to put themselves second and the team and community they represent first. That means volunteering to help little leagues, encouraging teammates and wanting them to do well even if that teammate plays ahead of them, getting physically stronger in the offseason, and most importantly, putting faith in a coaching staff that will lead them through good times and bad. It won't be easy, but honestly, I think the 2019 Cowboys baseball team can pick up where 2018 left off. If they commit to each other and the process of getting better, Madison will soon be known as a baseball community. Big congratulations for the 2017 and 2018 teams for laying the foundation. Now it's time for future classes, right down to those 10 and 11-year-olds who were on our bus ride home last night to build on this past success. Can't wait to see them accomplish what we couldn't quite get done the last two years. Go Cowboys," said Assistant Coach Brian Annett.

To see more photos of the Cowboys, pick up a copy of the Madison Enterprise-Recorder, in newsstands now.