Flower Mound baseball’s offense stymied by Pearland in UIL Class 6A state semifinal
Flower Mound’s lineup filled with elite division one talent went cold on the wrong day.
Pearland pitcher Nico Partida stymied the Jaguars, leading his team to a 2-0 Class 6A state semifinal victory on Friday at Dell Diamond. Flower Mound, the 2023 state champions, tallied four hits in the ballgame.
“It was a highly competitive 6A high school baseball game,” Flower Mound head coach Danny Wallace said. “Good pitching. It just came down to opportunities and who got a hit when they had to have one. We left too many runners at second base and they got a couple in.”
The Pearland Oilers (37-8-2) will face either Tomball or San Antonio Johnson in the Class 6A state championship at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Pearland’s offense made an impact out of the gates, taking a one run lead in the first inning. Partida started the ballgame with a double down the left field line and sophomore Brady Brewer drove him in with a single to center field.
The Oilers added another run in a third inning that was started by a lead off single from Walker Hurst. Teammate John Moya drove him home with a single through the right side.
Starting in the second inning, 13 consecutive Flower Mound at bats resulted in an out. Partida kept the Jaguars’ elite lineup at bay.
Flower Mound’s senior stars were struggling, and it halted the production of the entire lineup. Texas A&M commits Sam Erickson and shortstop Adrian Rodriguez as well as Arkansas commit Zane Becker combined for one hit in nine at bats.
“It’s been a fun ride with these boys,” Wallace said. “A lot of them started as sophomores and won the state championship last year as juniors. It’s been a lot of fun. ... There’s so many of them that have started and given so much to the program.”
The sole hit came in the sixth inning off the bat of Rodriguez, who sent a double down the right field line to cut the Oiler lead in half. The Jaguars (40-6) were unable to capitalize with him in scoring position and sent consecutive fly balls to the outfield.
Flower Mound needed a run to extend the ballgame in the bottom of the seventh. Partida recorded a 1-2-3 inning to finish a complete game and the save.
The Oilers’ ace allowed four hits, one earned run, two walks and three strikeouts in the semifinal win.
“We didn’t strikeout much at all,” Wallace said. “We just couldn’t get the big hit.”
Partida consistently pounded the zone with a fastball that reached 96 mph.
“There is a reason he hasn’t lost a start in a high school game,” Wallace said. “We were able to get the bat to it but we couldn’t drive in anywhere.”
Flower Mound pitcher Zack James, a TCU commit, also threw seven innings and settled in after allowing runs in the first and third innings. He allowed seven hits, one walk and struck out six batters but did not receive enough run support.
Pearland will attempt to claim its second state title on Saturday. The Oilers made their eighth appearance at the UIL baseball state tournament.
Flower Mound made its fifth state tournament appearance. In the regular season, the Jaguars secured a District 6-6A championship with a 14-0 run.
This story was originally published June 7, 2024 at 7:05 PM.
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