Not this time. The Llano baseball Jackets did grab a huge lead over Ingram, April 18, but the Warriors did not script a sequel to their amazing comeback ten days before when they rallied from an 11-2 deficit to win, 17-14. In this rematch, playoff-bound Llano prevailed 17-2.
“We had a good night,” head coach Chad Krempin said in presenting a gracious understatement. “We hit the ball hard and we took advantage of the walks we got. When we face average-to-good pitching we’re going to score some runs.”
The Jackets quickly followed Senior Night ceremonies with a four-run first inning. Dustin Jordan and Dallas Redden each drove in one and Dallas’ twin brother, Dean, chased in Jordan and Nathan Dudley with a double.
Ty Compton allowed two runs in the Ingram second, but he gave up just three hits in his four innings of work. He won’t walk to the diamond with his parents before the home finale of his career until next year.
It looked like the soon-to-be graduates wanted the third inning to run right into their freshman orientation in college. 14 in Black and Orange went to the plate, and ten runs scored. Travis Ramos, Jordan, and Dallas Redden all had doubles wrapped around a base-on-balls to Dudley.
More walks, a wild pitch, a passed ball and a hit batsman followed, and Dallas returned to the party to rip a two-run single, and Jordan and Ramos came home. It was 14-2 after three, not-so-merciful innings.
After hearing the cliche question, Krempin replied: “I thought about saying something concerning the April 8 game when we wasted that nine-run lead, but I didn’t; my gosh, the kids were aware of all that, and I thought we’d bounce back. I did tell them before the game, ‘If we get ‘em down, we’re not going to let ‘em up.’”
There was no let-up, and Trey Brooks helped make sure with a two-base hit (what else?), and this scored Lance Dickey and Ramos. Brooks' blast was part of a three-run fourth inning, and the game was concluded after the Warriors went quietly in the fifth.
“We’re a deep team,” Krempin noted, “and everyone on our bench can play. I know this is tough on kids and parents, but we do have a lot of talent.”
It’s talent that has translated into a 16-12 overall record after an 0-6 start. Llano is 6-2 in district and played at 7-1 Bandera, April 22; that was the closing contest for 25-3A. If the Jackets won they claimed a share of the championship and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
“I’m not surprised we’ve done as well as we have,” a candid Krempin declared. “The guys have worked hard, and, although some may think it’s bragging, I believe in what I do and what the coaches do. I felt like we’d get to a high level of success.”
Llano fans are (or should be) impressed with how far this young team has come, but they and the team want more wins (no surprise) in the postseason.
Llano 12 - Wimberley 2
Tuesday, the Jackets dominated Wimberley once again, sending the Texans home on the mercy rule after five innings.