WALKOFFS WILD VS. WHITNEY

With dramatic rally to beat Whitney Tuesday, Clifton Cubs battle into four-way tie for first in District 17-3A; host 18th-ranked co-leader West Friday

With every game between contenders in District 17-3A offering the potential for a nail biter, the Clifton Cubs and arch-rival Whitney Wildcats entered their two-game home-and-home series last week fighting to stay atop of the league standings. Despite hitting their first speed bump in game one on the road to returning to the Texas high school baseball playoffs for the first time since 2019, the Cubs responded with a resilient and inspired effort in game two to force a four-way tie first place.

After taking an early lead on the road and never trailing in game one, the Cubs watched Whitney walk off with a dramatic 2-1 victory March 26 on a game-winning run-scoring single by Wildcat Cade Haygood with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Then after taking six days off for the Easter weekend, a similar scenario developing in game two as Whitney came from behind to tie the score in the top of the seventh inning. But Clifton rallied in the bottom of the seventh to walk off with a thrilling 3-2 win at home Tuesday night.

“Any win in district is a big win, especially in this district as tough as it is,” Clifton baseball head coach Brian Slater said. “We did a good job not allowing the disappointment of the top of the seventh to carry over. We had been in a lot of close games during the tournament season, and I believe that gave us confidence in finding a way to close out the win.”

With a share of the district’s top spot, Clifton (3-1 in district, 10-10 overall) will play its second straight home game by hosting the 18th-ranked West Trojans (3-1, 11-9) at 7 p.m. Friday in the first of a two-game home-and-home set that will conclude in West at 7 p.m. next Tuesday.

Against Whitney (3-1, 11-9) in game one, Clifton freshman starting pitcher Jackson Ritz provided a solid performance on the mound by tossing 6.1 innings allowing five hits and two walks while striking out eight before senior Clay Kennedy came on in relief in the seventh.

Offensively, the Cubs managed to put only five men on base, collecting three hits and two walks off of Whitney starting pitcher Mason Pelham. In the top of the third inning, junior Tristan Hammond singled, stole second and scored on a double play, ground out by Ritz. Sophomore Judd New and freshman Cash Carpenter slapped Clifton’s only other base hits, while Kennedy and senior Bryan Ramirez drew walks.

“It was a tough game and tight throughout,” Slater said. “We played really well. We just needed to be better offensively to give us an opportunity to come out with a win.”

In game two, Whitney tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the seventh inning when Jacob Lessman tripled and stole home. But the Cubs responded in the bottom of the seventh as New slapped a base hit, moved to second as Ritz reached on an error, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Carpenter before scoring on a sacrifice fly by senior Ervin Rodriguez for the game winner.

Starting the game on the mound, New tossed 5.2 innings allowing only three hits and no earned runs while striking out seven and walking three. Kennedy entered the game in relief to close out the sixth inning before Ritz pitched the seventh to earn the win despite surrendering the tying run.

“We have put ourselves in a position to fight for one of the four playoff spots,” Slater said. “It is going to come down to the last game. And we need to keep improving and find a way to keep putting us in positions to win games.”

Opening district with back-to-back dominating wins, the Cubs slugged their way to an overwhelming 20-0 home victory over the Keene Chargers (0-4, 1-12) March 19 before almost duplicating the feat with a commanding 20-2 road win March 22 in their two-game, home-and-home series.

“It is always good to get off to a good start in district,” Slater said. “We played well against Keene. We had really good at bats throughout the two games and were able to score a lot of runs. We also pitched two good games, but we need to be better defensively going forward.”

In the first game against Keene, Ritz tossed a one-hit shutout over five innings, striking out nine and walking only one. Ritz helped his own cause at the plate, going two-for-two with four runs scored and two more batted in, while junior Hunter Weir went two-for-three with four RBIs. Kennedy went two-for-four with three runs scored and two RBIs, New went two-for three with two runs scored, while Carpenter collected three runs batted in.

“We had really good at bats throughout the two games and were able to score a lot of runs,” Slater said. “We pitched two good games, but we need to be better defensively going forward.”

In Game Two, New tossed four innings without allowing an earned run, surrendering three hits while striking out six before Kennedy wrapped up the win with an inning in relief. At the plate, Weir knocked in four more runs, junior Diego Rodriguez went three-for-three with a run scored and an RBI, Ritz and junior Jacob Nickel scored three runs each, while Carpenter knocked in three runs.

In other district action, the 10th-ranked Maypearl Panthers (3-1, 10-8) swept past Grandview (0-4, 8-8-1) to hand the Zebras their fourth straight district loss, while West dominated Keene in a pair of overwhelming shutouts.

“We need to keep improving, and we need to be better offensively,” Slater said. “In district games, we are going to see everybody’s top two pitchers. And we need to understand, that in this district, we are going to play tight low scoring games. With that in mind, we need to take advantage of every scoring opportunity we have, because you might not get many.”

With early district action indicating the pennant chase could shape up into a down-to- the-wire five-team battle for four playoff berths, the Cubs hope to take a step toward returning to the baseball program’s winning ways as a regular postseason qualifier.

“Obviously, our district is really tough,” Slater said. “And we are going to have to keep improving in order to earn one of the four playoff spots. We have proven that we are capable of beating anybody when we play our best baseball. And we are going to need to be at our best over the rest of the district season to get into the playoffs.”