After an explosive 14-2 win Thursday night over the JC Westside Rebels, the Mansfield Tigers have earned the title of Conference Champions upgrading their total season record to 15-7. Things didn’t always go as planned this season but the Tigers always found a way through it proving that hard work pays off. In a five-inning match-up, the Tigers let the Rebels get on the board in the first inning but after that, it was a hand palm to the forehead as Mansfield held JC Westside back the remainder of the game.
The first inning saw the Tigers getting on the board when Cody Fudge got hit by a pitch sending Nate Brewer home. The Rebels then secured their only two points of the battle and it was lights out from then out. With the score sitting at 1-2 Rebels going into the second inning, the Tigers went to work. Nate Brewer doubled on a hard ground ball to left field allowing Peyton Martin and Randy Claude to score. As the third inning got underway, Trey Vaughan landed a walk that earned a score for Braxton Byers and sent Fudge to 3rd and Drew Elmore to 2nd. Martin then singled on a ground ball to the third baseman earning Fudge a ride home.
With the second and third bases loaded, Claude grounded into fielder’s choice and Elmore scored. Next up, Nate Brewer doubled on a line drive to center field and both Vaughan and Martin earned scores. To finish out the third inning and send the score to 9-2, Byers singled on a ground ball to the Rebels pitcher letting Nate Brewer to run home. Snagging runs in the fourth inning was Vaughan who scored on error by first baseman Haltorn. Nate Brewer singled on a ground ball to third baseman Gregory while Martin scored sending the Tigers to 11-2. In the fifth and final inning, Claude doubled on a line drive to center field while Elmore and Vaughan both scored. To close up shop, Nate Brewer singled on a line drive to right field sending Martin to make the last run home and ending the game 14-2.
On how it feels to be Conference Champions, head coach, Layton Robinson responded, “It feels good! It is a great accomplishment for the guys. Being conference champions was the first thing we needed to accomplish to put us in the best position to reach our other goals for the year. The reason we have had success this year with such a young team is simple. We outwork people. The majority of the guys have been putting in 3-4 hours of work every day since November and the others since January. It’s something that we take a lot of pride in and I’m excited that we were able to have a successful regular season to display that work!” The Tigers will play again on Thursday, April 29 at 4:30 and will face the winner of the Lavaca/JC Westside game.
