6A Division II State Championship Game

Kingwood got a big 4-run 5th inning and banged out 11 hits against one of the top pitching staffs in the state and held on for a 5-4 win over Tomball to capture the 6A Division II State Championship. It was the first baseball state championship for Kingwood in 20 years. It also coincided with a championship won by the Kingwood softball team the previous week.

Kingwood wasted no time getting on the board. With one out, Brian Schumacher hit a triple down the right field line. Graham Charboneau flied out to center field , scoring Schumacher, and Kingwood took an early 1-0 lead.

Tomball responded in the bottom half of the 1st. A CJ Sampson single and walks by Karson Reeder and Brady Burrow loaded the bases. Harper Gates hit a fly ball that fell between the short stop and 2 outfielders, scoring Sampson and courtesy runner Lane Bradford. Tomball took the lead 2-1.

Pitchers Ben Mayorga (Kingwood) and Karson Reeder (Tomball) kept hitters at bay for the next 3 innings. But Kingwood erupted for 4 runs in the top of the 4th. Schumacher, Braden Fuentes and Nick Spetter had RBI singles and Joshua York was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded that gave Kingwood a 5-2 lead.

Tomball once again responded in the bottom half of the inning. They picked up two runs on Brycen Romberg and Burrow RBI singles to cut the Kingwood lead to 5-4.

With a 5-4 lead, Kingwood brought in Sophomore Ryder Renfro. He came in to get the last out in the bottom of the 5th and then got 3 consecutive outs in the 6th. As the game headed to the bottom of the 7th, Renfro got the first two outs. But an error and two singles later the bases were full with Kingwood clinging to the lead. Facing Harper Gates, who already had 2 RBIS in the game, Renfro got a fly ball to center field to end the game and give Kingwood the State Championship.

Graham Charboneau was key for the Kingwood Mustangs. He was 2-2 with 2 doubles, an RBI and a Run scored. He was named the championship MVP. “We’ve worked for this,” Charboneau explained. “We’ve worked hard 6 days a week. Early in the morning. Late at night. My teammates are always with me. We’ve worked together and they’ve pushed me. We all have worked for this.”

Head Coach Michael Oros also commented. “We wanted to leave a legacy with these 19 seniors and this team and that’s exactly what they did. They played our brand of baseball. They trusted us. They trusted the process. This game was what we expected. Tomball is here for a reason. They are talented. We had to keep doing what we do, what got us here and let the chips fall where they may. We found some holes today and we made the plays when we needed to. And it got us the win.”