McKinney Christian Battles to 9-8 Victory over Northland Christian for Division 3 State Championship

TAPPS DIVISION 3 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

McKinney Christian 5 0 0 2 0 1 1 9 10 0
Northland Christian 6 0 0 1 0 1 0 8 11 2

McKinney Christian battled Northland Christian in a back and forth affair but came out on top 9-8 to capture the TAPPS Division 4 State Championship, It was the first baseball state championship for McKinney Christian in their 3rd consecutive appearance at the state tournament.

McKinney Christian started the game off with a big inning. Leadoff hitter John Clark singled to start the game and Judd Witte and doubled him home. Teague Spivey followed with a single that scored Witte. Jackson Johnson laid down a bunt that scored Spivey. Marc Jensen then came in to score on a wild pitch. Josh Anderson his a sacrifice fly that brought Jackson Johnson home and McKinney Christian took an early 5-0 lead.

Northland Christian responded with a big inning of their own in the bottom half of the 1st inning. A Cy Taylor single, a Blake Stafford walk and an Alejandro Pena single loaded the bases. Tyler Bienko walked to score Taylor, Sam Stevenson doubled and scored Stafford and Pena, Bienko scored on a an Ayden Davis groundout. A Luke Edmonds single knocked in Stevenson and JT Turner. Northland Christian turned a 5-run deficit into a 6-5 lead.

McKinney Christian came back in the top of the 4th. John Clark singled to start the inning. Spivey got on by an error and Clark advanced to 3rd. Porter Carroll hit a sacrifice fly that scored Clark. Spivey then scored on a double steal and McKinney Christian regained the lead, 7-6.

Northland Christian responded with a run in the bottom of the 4th. Taylor led off with a double, moved to 3rd on a Bienko single and then scored on a Stevenson ground ball to tie the ball game at 7-7.

Neither team scored in the 5th inning. In the top of the 6th, McKinney Christian regained the lead when Spivey doubled home Witte to move the score to 8-7. Northland Christian responded back in the bottom of the 6th with a Bienko double that scored Alejandro Pena. Going into the final inning, the game was knotted at 8-8.

In the top of 7th, pinch hitter Micah Gagnon was hit by a pitch. Courtesy runner Noah Melton moved to 2nd on a sac bunt and then stole 3rd. With the go ahead run on 3rd McKinney Christian tried the squeeze bunt but it failed and Melton was caught stealing at home. With two outs batter Josh Anderson walked and moved to 2nd on a Cal Miller single. Clark came to bat and got his 3rd hit of the game, a single to right field that scored pinch runner Jasher Massingale to give McKinney Christian a 9-8 lead.

Marc Jensen came in to pitch for McKinney Christian in the bottom of the 7th hoping to hold the lead for the Mustangs. But J
Turner led off the inning with a single and the tying run was aboard, An Davis Sac Bunt moved Turner to 2nd. Jensen got a fly out for the 2nd out with the tying run on second base. Taylor singled but it wasn’t deep enough to score the runner. The tying run is on 3rd with 2 outs. Jensen got a strike out to end the game to give McKinney Christian the TAPPS Division 3 State Championship.

John Clark was named the THSB MVP Championship Player of the Game. He was 3-5, scoring 2 runs and getting the game winning RBI in the top of the 7th.

“We’ve been on a really good roll recently,” Clark commented. “We’ve been playing together really well and to finish like this is a really great moment. It was a tough game. JJ battled really well and we didn’t get down and we came through. I’ve been wanting this for the 4 years I have been in high school and to bring the first baseball state championship to McKinney is awesome.”

‘We have been here three years now,” Head Coach Brady James explained. “So to get back here and win it is pretty remarkable. JJ gutted it out. You can’t thank him enough for competing, He has been good for us all year. He settled in and was big for us. This was really sweet for us. I can’t lie, I got a little emotional today.”