Down to the last inning in Game 2, the Wimberley baseball team was trailing 3-1 having scored just one run in the last 20 innings and facing elimination after dropping game 1 against the rival Navarro Panthers.
Needless to say, the Texans were in need of a miracle.
After Wimberley tied the game up at 3-3 and the bases were loaded with no outs, Wimberley needed one more run to steal the win.
Instead they got four.
A walk-off grand slam by senior Ruger Riojas shifted the entire series on its head as not only were the Texans able to win game 2 at 7-3 but also win game 3 at 15-5 for Wimberley to bring home their second straight Bi-District Championship.
Within a 24-hour timespan, the Texans went from feeling the lowest of the lows from their 4-0 loss in game 1 and the highest of the highs after stealing game 2 and eliminating the Panthers in Game 3.
For head baseball coach Stephen Wisdom, rollercoaster pretty much summed up the entire series.
“That was the best word for it,” Wisdom said. “I was pretty down last night because it seemed like our offense took a vacation for about two weeks then was able to come back. It was a pretty low moment for me expecting the offense to come and do some things at the times we needed because it was a good pitching outing that was enough to win a game. I felt like our offense needed to come through.”
Despite the Texans tying the game up at 3-3, the walkoff grand slam not only gave the Texans the win but also gave the offense the much needed confidence boost to strike back in Game 3.
“Then today that one hit got us going,” Wisdom said. “I’m hoping that was what it needed to do. I’m glad it picked us up and I hope that is what it does. Our offense needed to come back and hadn’t been around for a few games. We needed that.”
“For the kids to me, the impression I got was ‘Crud we can do this, let’s go’,” Wisdom continued to say, “They immediately turned around right there and felt like this series was ours and that they were not done and went for another round. It was good to see them and hear them.”
In Game 3, the Texans faced a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the 1st with no outs.
Ethan Lancaster put Wimberley on the board first with a RBI single to go up 1-0.
Will Norris added another run with a sacrifice fly before the Panthers walked Cody Overall for the RBI walk to make it 3-0.
Chase Carson then hit a two-run RBI single before Hagen Donley sneaked a one-run RBI single to make it 6-0.
Another RBI walk by the Texans loaded the bases again before the Panthers got out of the jam, now trailing 7-0.
Overall did more damage for Wimberley in the 2nd inning as a two-run RBI double put across two more runs and extended the lead at 9-0.
However, Navarro was not content with the Texans trying to walk away with the game.
After cutting the lead down to 9-2, a 3-run home run by the Panthers put Navarro back into the game now trailing 9-5.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Wimberley was once again needing another offensive spark to put away the Panthers once and for all.
With the bases loaded following an Lancaster single, Norris delivered the second grand slam of the day to clear the bases and extend the lead to 13-5.
Wimberley loaded the bases again and looked to put the game away for good.
Donley was able to draw the RBI walk as the game put the lead at 14- 5. Josh Prado then ended the game with a RBI single to score the final run as the Texans celebrated the 15-5 win and the Bi-District Championship.
“That is what they needed,” Wisdom said. “They had lost confidence in themselves in those games and then doubted themselves. It was there when that game picked up from them. Now I think we can do it again.”
The win also followed District 28’s complete sweep of District 27 as Boerne, Canyon Lake, and Davenport all won their Bi-District championship games to move on to the Area Round, highlighting the toughness of the district.
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Texans as Wimberley will draw the number one ranked team in the state facing the Sinton Pirates who have a record of 28-1.
Game 1 will start at 7 p.m. on Friday with game 2 starting at 1 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, will start 30 minutes after game 2. All games will be played at the San Antonio Kennedy High School Sports Complex.
