Back On Track?
Lampasas 8, Pflugerville Connally 7 (9 Innings)
Badgers cap strong week with win over Cougars

PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Stetson Magilke, shown here against Marble Falls, threw five two-hit innings against Pflugerville Connally in the Badgers' 8-7, extra-inning victory on Thursday.

PFLUGERVILLE - The Lampasas High School baseball team followed Wednesday's nearupset at Austin Lake Travis with an 8-7 road upset of Pflugerville Connally on Thursday.

The Badgers, who had Lake Travis on the ropes before a seventh inning rally resulted in a 3-2 Cavaliers' win, got strong pitching and timely hitting in a nine-inning win over the Cougars. The Badgers (4-13 overall, 1-3 in District 25- 4A) cranked out 11 hits and stole 12 bases.

"We finally hit the ball and ran the bases well, and it paid off," LHS head coach Brian McBeth said. "I'm starting to see more con- fidence from the team, and they're starting to execute better. Once we put all three phases of the game together, we're a pretty good team."

The Badgers are scheduled to play host to Pflugerville Hendrickson at 7 p.m. today with a chance to pull within a game of .500 in dis- trict play.

Senior catcher Coleton Lucas recorded two hits and drove in a run against Connally. Courtesy runner Jonathan VanLiew turned two of Lucas' hits into runs, stealing three bases and crossing the plate twice.

"I don't know if it's a crucial game because we've got 10 games left, and I think 9-5 gives you a shot to make the playoffs," the coach said.

"I told these kids after the game that the only thing that can keep us from winning 10 in a row is us. We've just got to keep putting ourselves in positions to win games -- just give ourselves a chance."

In the top of the ninth, Ryan Abbott gave the Badgers a 7-6 lead,

"Stetson started for us and did a great job," McBeth said. "He had some arm trouble early in the year, but he fought through it. Now he's starting to get his control back. He's come back and done a great job for us.

"Gillespie did a great job for us. He worked his way out of some tough situations."

Connally jumped out to a 4-0 lead, scoring two runs in the first inning and two more in the second. The Badgers cut the margin to 4-2 in the third inning when Fry walked and stole his way around the bases. Cody Bailey followed with a single and a stolen base, and Magilke drove him in with a single to center.

Remington Gillespie

The Cougars added a run in the fourth to make it 5-2, but the Badgers answered with two in the fifth and two more in the sixth. In the fifth, Lucas walked and scored on a Rainwater triple, and Chance Vann followed Rainwater with an infield single. In the sixth, Abbott and Fry both walked, stole bases and eventually scored. Connally tied the game in the seventh to send it to extra frames.

Bailey, Magilke, Lucas and Rainwater recorded two hits apiece in the game, and Fry, Lucas and Rainwater each crossed the plate twice. Fry stole four bases, Jonathan VanLiew stole three, Abbott and Bailey swiped two apiece, and Vann stole one.

McBeth said Bailey probably will get the nod against Hendrickson.

Seth Fry Justin Rainwater