China Springs Claims 4A State Championship in 12-Inning Thriller

In a 4A State Tournament that will go down as one of the craziest of all time, China Spring scored in the bottom of the 12^th on a walk off bases loaded walk to beat Texarkana Liberty-Eylau 3-2 and claim the 2023 4A State Championship.  The 12-inning affair broke the record for the longest UIL State Championship Game and it comes just 24 hours after China Spring and Sinton set a new record for the longest UIL State Tournament game with their 12 inning game.

After a scoreless first two innings, China Spring got on the board first in the bottom of the third.  With two outs and two on, Trevor Black tripled to right center scoring JC Hughes and Brenan Daniel and giving China Spring the 2-0 lead.

Black not only knocked in the first two runs for China Spring, but he was also shutting out Liberty-Eylau on the mound.  He had not given up any hits through three innings and no runs through four innings.

But in the 5^th Liberty-Eylau finally got on the board.  The Leopards loaded the bases and with one out, W.T. Jones grounded out to 1^st Base, scoring pinch-runner J.D. Davis to cut China Spring’s lead to 2-1.

Liberty-Eylau then tied the game in the sixth.  Dylan Garton walked to start the inning and was sacrificed to 2^nd.  Collin Evans singled Garton over to third.  Evans then tried to steal second but was thrown out.  On the throw, Garton ran home safely and knotted the game up at 2-2.

Neither team could score in the 7^th and the championship game headed into extra innings.

Liberty-Eylau had several chances in the extra innings.  They got a runner to 3B in the 8^th inning but couldn’t get him home.  In the 10^th inning, two walks moved WT Jones to 2B.  With two outs, Ayden Easter singled through the right side but Jones was thrown out at home trying to score.

China Spring had a runner get to 2B in the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th innings but was never able to advance them any further.  Until the 12^th inning.

With one out in the bottom of the 12^th, Black walked and Dillon Bowers singled.  New pitcher Miles Vaughn walked to load the bases.  Jacob Klement came up to bat and drew a walk to score Black and secure the win for China Spring.

Freshman Miles Vaughn was named the 4A Championship Game MVP.  He came in to pitch in the 11th inning and shut down the side in the 12th on a fly out, strikeout and a pop out.  He was the winning pitcher of the game.

With the win, China Spring wins their 5th State Baseball Championship but their first since 2000.  Also, Head Coach Cory Beckham became only the 3rd Head Coach in Texas High School Baseball history to win a state title with two different teams.  Beckham won back-to-back titles with West High School in 2015 and 2016.