The Taylor Ducks varsity baseball team picked up its first district victory in dominant fashion, defeating the Jarrell Cougars, 17-1, in a run-rule win Tuesday, March 25.
Freshman Tayden Talley led the Ducks at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a team-high three RBIs.
Taylor struck early, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore Mason Sunvision scored on a wild pitch, and sophomore Aiden Dimas followed with an RBI single to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead.
They extended their advantage to 5-0 in the second, scoring on a hit-by-pitch, an RBI single from Talley, and a throwing error.
The Cougars went down in order in the third, and Taylor continued to pile on. Junior Connor Woods hit an RBI double before the Ducks added another run on a sacrifice fly, making it 7-0.
Woods, who got the start on the mound, pitched five innings, allowing one run while striking out seven. Jarrell’s lone run came in the fourth on a Taylor error, trimming the deficit to 7-1.
However, the Ducks responded with an offensive explosion in the bottom half, scoring 10 runs. Talley, Woods, sophomore Mario Newman and senior Xavier Juarez each drove in runs during the inning.
Taylor finished with 11 hits, going 11-for-24 at the plate. The 17-run outburst marked the Ducks’ highest scoring total of the season, surpassing their previous best of 13 in a 21-13 loss to Giddings.
Taylor wrapped up its series against Jarrell on Friday, March 28, and will travel to Burnet on Tuesday, April 1, for a 7 p.m. game.
Photo by Larry Pelchat
