Grapevine Faith falls, Weatherford Christian prevails in TAPPS state title games

SOFTBALL

Houston Second Baptist 13, Grapevine Faith 0 (5)

After rallying for a win in the state semifinal on Friday, the Grapevine Faith softball team needed another come back in the championship game.

But this time it didn’t happen.

Houston Second Baptist pounded out 14 hits, including two home runs, on its way to a run-rule victory over the Lions in the TAPPS Division II state title game on Saturday afternoon at the Waco ISD Athletics Complex.

It was the third state final appearance for Faith (22-4), which won titles in 2005 and 2012.

“I think that we got off to a little bit of a rough start, but hats off to Second Baptist,” said Faith coach Kenny Bruce. “They came out and hit the ball well early.

“We struggled a little bit staying on the corners and got a little too much plate and they barreled some stuff up and did a great job hitting. I can’t take anything away from that group of kids, they did a great job.”

The only hits Eagles’ starter Rachel Riley allowed were a single by Ellie Estridge to lead off the game and a double by Jennifer Nevill with one out in the second. Riley fanned seven, hit two batters, but did not allow a base on balls in five innings.

Riley’s towering two-run home run in the bottom of the first was the first of three big hits for Second Baptist (18-5-1). The blast helped the Eagles to a 3-0 lead after one inning.

MacKenzie Schmidt ripped a bases clearing double to the fence in right center to give SB a 6-0 lead in a five-run second. It was three of Schmidt’s game-high five runs batted in.

Emma Garcia put a cherry on the win with a lined shot, grand slam home run over the right-center field wall in the fourth.

“There’s not a single player on my roster that has ever won a playoff game,” said Bruce, in his first year at the helm at Faith Christian. “What this team has done this year is unbelievable. They’ve loved each other every inning of every game and to the bitter end and I wouldn’t want to go to war with anyone other than these kids.”

BASEBALL

Weatherford Christian 14, Hallettsville Sacred Heart 2 (5)

Bryson Smith had three hits and scored three times and Rand Greene had two hits and drove in three as Weatherford Christian won back-to-back state titles with a run-rule win over Hallettsville Sacred Heart in the TAPPS Division V baseball state title game on Saturday afternoon at the Waco ISD Athletic Center.

The Lions won the 2019 title before COVID-19 canceled the 2020 campaign.

Weatherford Christian (25-7) pounded out 12 hits against Sacred Heart (14-11), but the Indians were plagued by wildness on the mound and ill-timed errors. The Lions scored four times on wild pitches/passed balls, once on a balk and twice on Sacred Heart errors.

The Lions worked SH pitching for eight walks.

Two of Greene’s RBI gave WC a 7-0 lead when he drove a sharp single to center plating Jaxon Foland and Ethan Smith in a six-run second inning. The Lions had nine stolen bases with Ethan Smith picking up three to go along with a two-for-two day at the plate and three runs scored.

Foland and Greene had the only extra base hits for WC, both doubles.

Greene put in a solid performance on the mound to pick up the win. The freshman tossed 4 1/3 innings scattering three hits, allowing two earned runs, striking out seven and walking one.

Ethan Smith relived Greene to get the final two outs for Weatherford Christian.

This story was originally published May 15, 2021 at 11:04 PM.