MIDLOTHIAN – With yet another late-inning comeback, Taylor High School varsity baseball was victorious on Thursday night as the Ducks rallied past the Panthers of Spring Hill High School for a 4-2 win in Game 1 of the 4A regional semifinals.
Ducks junior starting pitcher Chris Perez really had to grind throughout the entirety of this game to keep this Spring Hill team within striking distance but he was able to get the job done with his performance on the mound. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the first inning, Perez threw a filthy curveball to strike out a Panther hitter swinging to escape one of a handful of jams on the night.
Spring Hill tried to roll the dice on offense in the top of the second inning and it backfired thanks to great defense from Taylor. With runners at second and third base, the Panthers tried a squeeze bunt and sent the runner from third home. The Spring Hill batter failed to get the bunt down and Ducks sophomore catcher Nick Treuter tagged the runner out at home for the second out of the inning. However, Spring Hill was able to get on the board when the next batter ripped an RBI single into center field to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Despite the Ducks’ offense being held completely in check early in the game by Spring Hill, Perez kept the Panthers off the board with his own pitching and help from great defense. In the top of the fourth, Taylor senior shortstop Dominick Hartman made back-to-back stellar defensive plays to keep the Panthers off the base paths that inning.
With Perez continuing to keep his team in the game down just 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, he helped himself out on offense when he smacked a leadoff double to deep left-centerfield for Taylor’s first hit of the night up to that point. After senior Conner Cobb came in to pinch run for Perez, junior third baseman Aiden Aguero delivered in the clutch with an RBI single that scored Cobb to tie the game up at 1-1. The Ducks managed to finally get a string of runners on base that inning but left the bases loaded and the game was tied 1-1 headed into the sixth inning.
After the Panthers managed to get two runners on base in the sixth and threatened to take the lead again, Perez got a huge strikeout for the second out of the frame. During the next at-bat for Spring Hill, the Ducks got the play of the game up to that point on defense from junior first baseman Braylan Alderete. On a ball ripped down the first-base line, Alderete made a leaping catch for the final out of the inning that certainly saved at least one run from scoring.
Taylor came up in the bottom of the sixth inning and like the team has multiple times this postseason, the Ducks delivered on offense late in the game. After a leadoff single by Hartman and a walk drawn by Treuter, Aguero eventually drew a walk of his own to load the bases with two outs. The Ducks would then take their first lead of the game on a wild pitch that scored Hartman to make it 2-1.
Ducks senior outfielder Jake Jansky then came up to the plate and delivered what would eventually be the game-winning hit as he ripped a two-run single into center field that gave Taylor a 4-1 lead over Spring Hill.
Heading into the top of the seventh inning with a high pitch count, Perez continued to work in order to preserve the victory. Despite giving up two straight singles to start the inning, the junior pitcher struck out the next batter and got a forceout that scored a run for the second out. With Taylor leading 4-2, Ducks head coach Justin Adams relieved Perez and put in senior Cohen Tyree to get the final out of the game. Tyree did just that with the first batter he faced, getting the Spring Hill hitter to foul out to Alderete at first to end the game.
Despite seemingly getting squeezed by the home plate umpire on multiple occasions with a questionable strike zone throughout the game, Perez pitched a great game as he went 6.2 innings with five strikeouts, five walks, and only two runs allowed in the victory.
The Ducks improved to 30-3-1 overall this 2023 season and are one win away from reaching the 4A regional finals. Game 2 will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Midlothian with a Game 3 (if necessary) to follow 30 minutes afterward.
