Lakeway Christian players celebrate after close region tournament win over Silverdale.
photo by Joy Fisk
The stakes were high for both teams going into tonight’s best-of-three baseball games between Silverdale and Lakeway Christian. One team would be moving on in the region tournament and going to state; the other team would be playing their last game. Lakeway had defeated SBA last Thursday in a game that included long rain delays. Silverdale came back tonight to win the second game, forcing a third game, which they lost to Lakeway by a single run.
Last week’s monsoon changed the playing field a bit, as each team was originally scheduled to play multiple teams, but with fewer playing days left before the state tournament, TSSAA went to a “best-of-three” model with teams playing the same opponent two to three times.
The cool weather was perfect for baseball, and the match-up between two similar teams with so much on the line made for an exciting night of sport, with players from both teams leaving it all out on the field. In the first game Monday night, Silverdale started out as an underdog, not only because they had lost the game last Thursday, but because a series of walks led to an early lead by Lakeway, which took the lead 4-0 with two singles and five walks in the second inning.
Silverdale, playing as the guest team on their home field, took back control of the game in the top of the third inning, scoring five runs, including two runs off Tanner Bayne who doubled on a line drive, allowing Jonah Winton and Maddux Hasty to score.
Lakeway responded with a run in the fifth inning to tie up the game, Kyler Worsham scoring off a ground ball by Jack Vineyard. At the top of the sixth, the Seahawks scored three runs which the Lions were not able to match, giving Silverdale an 8-5 win over Lakeway.
Now with both teams on even footing, each one with a win, the third game and the second of the evening was anybody’s game to win. Both teams were scoreless in the first four innings, with strong pitching performances by Silverdale’s Drake Dills and Lakeway’s Landon Holmes. Finally in the fifth inning, Lakeway, now playing as the guest team, scored a home run by Jack Vineyard, taking over the lead 1-0. Silverdale responded in the bottom of the fifth with a run by Drake Dills off a ground ball by Jonah Winton.
In the sixth inning, the Seahawks pulled ahead, scoring two runs to Lakeway’s single run, leading 3-2. It seemed like it was the Seahawks night, if they could hold off Lakeway at the top of the seventh, and even if the Lions scored, the Seahawks had the home field advantage of being at bat in the bottom of the seventh. But the Lions rallied, scoring two runs in the top of the seventh and keeping Silverdale from scoring in the bottom of the seventh. Lakeway won the game 4-3.
The loud exhilaration of the Lions was a stark contrast to the silent disappointment of the Seahawks as one team now heads to state and the other team puts up their cleats for the season.
Head Coach for the Lions Chuck Hargis recognized the skill of his opponents but was also excited for his players. “That third game was a really good baseball game. Two good teams. It was - who's going to get the big hit when it mattered? And we got it there in the seventh inning and just pulled it away…It’s the first time we’ve ever been to state in five years, so we have a really good group, and we always finish here for some reason. Unfortunately, they always got our number, so it feels really good to leave here winning this time.”
When asked what he told his players after they lost the second game, he said, “We huddled, I had them close their eyes. We took three deep breaths, and I was like, that game's over. Like, it's win or go home. Let's get ready to play. We're a good baseball team. You know, they're a good baseball team. Let's go and compete. And let's see what happens.”
The Lions’ Pitcher Kyler Worsham who pitched the last two innings for the Lions, was excited but also relieved after a nerve-wracking final inning. “I think that's the most nervous I've ever been in my entire life…I mean, after the first game, it was a tough loss, but I think we just came together as a team and, you know, did what we needed to do to pull through.”
Silverdale’s Maddux Hasty, who hit a home run as the very first player up to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie up the game, was thankful for the experience he has had this season. “I just am thankful for this team and all the time we've spent together. I am thankful for my coaches, how they poured into me, and I just happened to be the guy in that moment” When asked what made his team special, Hasty replied, “Our walk with the Lord and how we've just grown as a team. The locker room was best I've ever been a part of.”
Head Coach for the Seahawks Lance Rorex, echoed some of Hasty’s sentiments when he reflected on the loss and the end of their season. “Obviously, you're proud of your guys… It's been a different degree. It started in the Dominican. Then we had two guys baptized and just kind of the attitude around the park was like, we play baseball, but that's not who we are. And this group was special because I really feel like they tried to live that out…I told them after the game that I am a better man and a better Christian and I am closer to Jesus because of them, and that scoreboard don’t dictate who we are.”
Rorex hopes his guys are learning deeper lessons that go beyond just the game of baseball, “So we talk about the response all the time, and that's life, right? You're going to get knocked down, you're going to have trials. How God works with you through those trials makes you who you are.”
Game 1:
Silverdale 005 003 0 – 8 12 1
Lakeway 040 010 0 – 5 6 0
Hoewischer, Raby (2), Murray (2), Hasty (6); Gockenbach, Holmes (7)
Game 2:
Lakeway 000 011 2 – 4 10 1
Silverdale 000 012 0 – 3 4 1
Homes, Worsham (6); Dills, Melton, Monteith (7)