Season ends in Area round
Riley Ramsey made the final start of his high school career May 14, allowing just two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
The Wills Point Tigers saw their 2016 season, which included a second place finish overall in a deep and talented district and a bi-district round playoff series win over Crandall, drew to a close May 13-14 with an Area round loss to state-ranked Texarkana Pleasant Grove.
The Tigers hung tough against Pleasant Grove in the early stages of game one of their best-of-three series, before the Hawks found their rhythm offensively to pull away for an 11-1 win.
Pleasant Grove surged in front with four runs in the bottom of the third inning, capitalizing on two Tiger errors and a balk.
Wills Point got a lift from Jayton Oldacre in the top of the fourth, with the freshman first baseman singling home Caden Bennett to pull to within 4-1.
The Hawks continued to do damage throughout the rest of the night, scoring two more runs in the fourth and three more runs in the fifth to pull in front 9-1.
Pleasant Grove delivered the knockout blow in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two more runs to complete the 11-1, six-inning win over the Tigers.
Leading hitters for Wills Point included Jarred Sanford going 2/3, Caden Bennett going 1/2 with a run scored, Jayton Oldacre going 1/3 with an RBI and Sam Berberich going 1/2.
Hosea Carroll got the start and took the loss on the mound for the Tigers, allowing four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Jayton Oldacre pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing two earned runs.
Wills Point returned to the diamond the following afternoon, hosting Texarkana Pleasant Grove May 14. Despite keeping the Hawks’ offense in check most of the day, Pleasant Grove still did enough to record the 5-1 series clinching win.
The Hawks scored one run in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. Pleasant Grove scored two more times in the sixth to move in front 5-0.
Wills Point continued to fight, loading the bases with an out in the bottom of the sixth to threaten the Pleasant Grove advantage. Caden Bennett finished with the only RBI of the inning, however, driving in Jarred Sanford to pull the Tigers to within 5-1.
Neither team could put a dent on the scoreboard over the course of the final ending, closing out the four run win for Pleasant Grove.
Leading hitters for Wills Point included Seth Wilson finishing 2/3, Jarred Sanford going 1/3 with a run scored and Caden Bennett going 1/3 with an RBI.
Riley Ramsey took the loss, allowing two earned runs while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings. Kolton Adams pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, striking out one while allowing no hits or runs.
Players appearing in their final game in a Tiger uniform included Jarred Sanford, Logan Morris, Kolton Adams and Hosea Carroll.
