The Collinsville Pirate baseball team is bound for Round Rock for the third straight year after sweeping Stamford in two games Thursday in Stephenville.
Pirate pitchers Caysen Schafer and Garrett Trevino gave Stamford no chance.
Between them, they threw four-hitters.
Game two ended in a 6-1 win that took Collinsville to 31-4 on the year.
Collinsville will face Overton in the 2A Division II title game at 9 a.m. on Thursday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Results were not available as of press time.
In game two, Peyton Davidson doubled, walked twice and drove in four runs.
Paxton Davidson doubled, walked and scored twice.
Jaxon Jenkins singled, walked twice and scored twice.
Jaxon Spivey walked twice and scored twice.
Trevino walked three times for Collinsville.
The Bulldogs came out swinging in game two after dropping game one by a 6-1 margin as well.
They landed a double to lead off the first inning.
A bunt brought in the run, but they got stranded from there.
The Pirates answered in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead.
Paxton Davidson doubled to center.
Jenkins reached base on a bunt single.
With two outs, Davidson scored on a passed ball.
Then Jenkins stole home.
Trevino, who had walked, stole second base.
Then Collinsville took control with three more runs in the second.
It was the second time all night the Pirates tacked on three or more runs with two outs on the board.
They opened game one in the same fashion.
“We try to get creative early in the count,” head coach Derrick Jenkins said. “But we seem to dial in when there are two outs. That’s when it’s time to focus on productivity.”
Later, Paxton Davidson and Jenkins walked to load the bases and Peyton Davidson cleared them on a double to left.
Peyton Davidson’s bases-loaded walk capped the scoring in the fifth.
Game two ended with the second Pirate double play of the night.
“Our defense has been lights out,” Jenkins said. “We are smart and physical and know where the play is.”
Jenkins said that defensive awareness comes with experience.
“This group of seniors has been with me the whole time since I’ve been here,” he said. “They are true leaders. They were underestimated after we graduated so many good guys last year. They stepped up and took the reins.”
In game one, Trevino threw a four-hitter with five strikeouts and three walks.
He also walked and scored.
In centerfield, Trevino snagged four deep ball outs during the series.
“Garrett is a football guy,” Jenkins said. “He is big and tough. He’s going to get a chance to play football at the college level, but that has never taken away from his ability to play baseball. He is fast and disciplined. The kid is just an incredible athlete and, more than that, he is an amazing person… genuinely one of the best kids I’ve ever known.”
Cash Morgan went 2-for-4 in game one with two doubles, drove in a run and scored once.
Schafer went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Peyton Davidson walked three times and scored once.
Jenkins drove in a run and Paxton Davidson walked.
This is the first year that the state semifinal wasn’t played in Round Rock. A format change from the UIL sent the semi round to neutral locations affording only the title game on the field at Dell Diamond.
“It’s an emotional thing,” Jenkins said. “I don’t think I like it. You work all year to get to State. Playing in Round Rock is the goal. There is something to be said for having that semi game there… But we are not preparing for a multi-team tournament. This way, we know who our final opponent is, and we can prepare for one game— not a series.”
That opponent is the Overton Mustangs who come to Round Rock from East Texas at 31-8 on the year— a school record for most wins in a baseball season.
They are in the State tournament for the first time in school history and punched their ticket by taking Burton to three games in the semis.
Their playoff run includes taking Gary to three games and sweeping Beckville and James Bowie.
They lost in the first round of the playoffs last year.
“Overton will be quick and aggressive,” Jenkins said. “They have earned the right to be here. They are a great team, and we have got to be ready. They’ll be looking for every advantage and we can’t give them any.”
