Many baseball teams know how to get on base.
The Collinsville baseball team knows how to take advantage on the basepaths. The Pirates on-base efficiency have them playing in their fourth consecutive state semifinal after they swept Muenster, 8-6, 3-1, in a region final best-of-three series last week at North Central Texas College in Gainesville.
Collinsville (24-4) faced Ropes in a best-of-three semifinal series Wednesday and Thursday at Abilene Christian University.
Results were not available as of press time.
The winner meets the Beckville-Burton winner at noon Thursday at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
COLLINSVILLE 8, MUENSTER 6
Despite recording just two hits, the Pirates scored eight runs, including six in the bottom of the first inning, to claim an 8-6 victory in the series opener against Muenster Wednesday, May 20. The Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but that proved to be short-lived.
Collinsville used three walks, two hit batsmen, a pair of sacrifices and a hit to score six runs for a 6-2 lead after one complete. Luke Sheppard drove in a run on a sacrifice fly; Caysen Schafer, Peyton Davidson and Jaxon Spivey scored on passed balls; Nate Hicks hit an RBI double; and Keaston Worthington drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt.
Muenster scored a run each in the second and third to trim its deficit to 6-4 before tying the game in the top of the sixth. But Paxton Davidson hit an RBI double and scored on a double steal to give his team an 8-6 lead after six before Hicks retired the side in the top of the seventh to finish the game.
Paxton Davidson (1-2, BB, HBP, 2B, RBI) and Hicks (1-3, 2B, RBI) led Collinsville at the plate. The Pirates also took advantage of 10 walks.
Hicks pitched the final two innings to earn the win on the mound. Spivey pitched the first five frames.
COLLINSVILLE 3, MUENSTER 1
Schafer went the distance on the mound in the Pirates’ series-clinching 3-1 victory last Friday. He struck out seven batters while giving up a run on four hits.
Collinsville started the scoring in the top of the second. Spivey hit a single and advanced to second before scoring on a Hicks single.
The Pirates added a run in the top of the fifth when Sheppard drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Schafer drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth to give his team a 3-0 cushion before the Hornets added a run in the bottom of the frame.
Spivey (2-3, BB) and Rider Patterson (2-4) led Collinsville at the plate. Hicks (1-2, BB, RBI), Sheppard (1-3, SAC, RBI), Schafer (1-1, 2 BB, HBP, RBI) and Paxton Davidson (1-4) also contributed.