Malakoff Walk-Off Win Gives Them 3A State Championship

Heading into the playoffs, the Malakoff Tigers and the London Pirates both had visions of being in Round Rock on the final day of the season. Both teams have been in the top 5 all year and they faced obstacles on their way to get here, but they both made it to their ultimate goal. The only question left would be how the 2 teams would respond to the biggest stage Texas High School Baseball has to offer. The result: neither team disappointed.

Pirates´ Mason Arispe led off the game with a triple, but it was quickly erased by a ground fielder´s choice from 1st Baseman Cole Gaddis to the catcher.  However, a 2 out single by Jayden Martinez and an error in centerfield would allow Kade Budd to score the 1st run of the game. The Tigers did not wait to answer though as Alan Benhardt singled and Bryson Adair executed a perfect push bunt that ended up as a double. A Gaddis sacrifice fly and a Brandon Nations double gave the Tigers the lead, 2-1 after the first frame. London tied the game with a single run when Henry Sepulveda scored on a balk after he and Darren Lewallen singled.

The score would remain tied until the bottom of the 4th when Bryson Adair went the other way for a 2 RBI single to plate Nathan Jones and Riggin Smith. The Pirates´ resiliency continued to show up and in the Top of the 5th they would send 9 batters to the plate highlighted by a 2 RBI double for Shortstop Mason Jacob to tie the game and an RBI single off the bat of Landon Salinas to take the lead after Adair entered the game on the mound. A squeeze play would push the score to 6-4 before Adair was able to strikeout Lewallen to end the inning.

Henry Sepulveda did worked around some traffic on the bases out in his relief role to throw up a scoreless frame in both the 5th and 6th innings. London was able to add an insurance run in the Top of the 6th aided by a couple of errors and some aggressive base running by 9-hole Jacob Gonzalez.

Sepulveda took the ball with a 3 run lead and just 3 outs away from a championship. After a leadoff strikeout, the Tigers loaded the bases after 2 tough errors and a hit by pitch. Sepulveda would then strike out Benhardt for the 2nd out. Adair would then line his 4th hit of the game through the right side to make the sore 7-5. A Cole Gaddis walk would be followed by a Brandon Nations hit by pitch to tie the score. Jack Davis would then be hit by a pitch to to plate Adair as the championship run for the Tigers.

Adair turned into the obvious choice for MVP as he would finish the game going 4-5 at the plate with 3 RBI and he also earned the win on the mound pitching 2 2/3 innings allowing only 1 unearned run, striking out 3 and walking zero. The Championship game ends a storybook run for the Tigers as Adair´s dad and coach John Adair will now retire. Coach Adair will finish his career with 619 wins with none more important than the last one that sends him off into the sunset.

The game also ends an incredible season for the London Pirates who finish the season 33-6-1. The young Pirate roster has a lot to look forward to in the coming years with many freshman and underclassmen on their roster. No one will be surprised to see the Pirates make another deep run next year or even head back to Round Rock.