Steers earn signature win at Stephenville
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(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s Colter Johnson follows through on a big swing during a game against Stephenville a few weeks ago. The Steers traveled to Stephenville for another district matchup Tuesday, March 26 and came home with a close 1-0 win. -
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham pitcher Ryder Taylor makes a pickoff attempt towards first base during the team’s game against Stephenville a few weeks ago. The Steers traveled to Stephenville again Tuesday, March 26 and came away with a 1-0 win over the Yellow Jackets. Taylor pitched a complete game and earned the win while allowing no runs on just two hits. -
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham catcher Tripp Mahaney frames a pitch for a strike during the team’s first matchup against Stephenville at the beginning of March. The Steers traveled to Stephenville again Tuesday, March 26 and came away with a 1-0 win over the Yellow Jackets.
The Stephenville Yellow Jackets have been one of the top baseball teams in Class 4A all season long. The Graham Steers got their second chance at taking on the Yellow Jackets and came home with a masterful 1-0 win this week.
Near the beginning of March, the Steers were shut out by the Yellow Jackets 5-0 in a game dominated by pitching. This time around, Graham got the better of the home team Tuesday, March 26 led by an incredible pitching performance on the mound from junior Ryder Taylor.
In the last matchup, Taylor took the hard-fought loss despite a solid performance. In a sort of revenge game, Taylor held onto the reins and never let go as he threw all seven innings, only allowed two hits, walked six batters and struck out seven.
Graham’s defense was strong, as the team’s only error was on a bunt that Taylor fielded and misplayed. It didn’t amount to anything after the junior gave up a walk and then retired the next three batters in order to maintain control.
It was a true battle back and forth all night between these two teams. Through the first three innings, Graham’s only base runner came on a hit by pitch and Stephenville’s came on a walk.
It wasn’t until the Steers’ half of the fourth inning that the first hit in the game was recorded by Ty Thompson, who hit a line drive to left field.
Thompson then stole second and reached third on an error by the Yellow Jackets’ pitcher. But when Taylor grounded a ball to third base, Thompson was thrown out at home plate to eliminate the threat.
Stephenville got their first hit in their half of the inning, but Taylor worked around the hit and a walk to get out of the inning with no harm done.
As the teams moved into the second half of the game, Graham took the advantage in the top of the fifth inning without recording a hit. Tate Loesch walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Bruin Wright.
Mason Milton then grounded a ball to third base. Stephenville’s third baseman tried to tag Loesch, who had broken from second, but he missed and then his throw to first base missed wide and Loesch came around to score the game’s only run on the error.
That mistake from the home team would prove critical in the outcome, as neither team got anything else going. The closest the Yellow Jackets came to scoring was when they had runners on first and second in the sixth inning, tried to execute a double steal, but Graham’s Tripp Mahaney threw out the runner headed for second base to end the threat.
In Stephenville’s last at bats in the seventh inning, the Yellow Jackets got two runners on base with walks but Taylor punctuated the win with a final strikeout to secure the narrow 1-0 victory for the Steers.
The win put Graham above .500 in district play with a 3-2 record, while they sit at 10-8 on the season overall.
After the Steers took on Stephenville at home Thursday, March 28, Graham will stay home Tuesday, April 2 to take on Brownwood at 7 p.m.
