By Toby Bicknell
Texas Scouting Director

Twitter: @PBR_Texas

Thursday, April 13

It is rare to catch a seven inning high school game that lasts more than three hours, but that is exactly what happened on Thursday night at Klein High School. Four lead changes, six pitchers, nineteen hits, thirteen walks and a partidge in a pear tree - this game had it all.

The visiting Memorial Mustang’s would get off to a strong start in the top of the first, scoring two runs off Klein starter Adam Cook. Memorial centerfielder Payne Trozzo led off the game with a double, and after three more consecutive hits, including back-to-back RBI singles by Neal Mabee and Blake Gregory, the Mustangs found themselves up 2-0.

Klein would answer with five runs of their own in the bottom half of the first, with Matt Shipman hitting a two-out, two RBI double to center field. Klein added another run in the bottom of the second when Nick Tamez, a North Central Texas recruit, singled home Texas Tech recruit Jose Gonzalez Jr.

Memorial would anti-up with four runs in the top of third when senior third baseman Jeffery Williams went deep to left field for a grand slam home run, tie ballgame 6-6. The Mustangs took the lead with another run in the top of the fourth when Blake Gregory singled in Payne Trozzo. They would still have the bases loaded with no outs when Klein went to the bullpen for left-handed reliever Preston Potter. The junior came up huge, getting three soft outs, a pop-up, a tapper back to the mound, and a strikeout to escape unscathed. Memorial up 7-6.

The Mustang’s left-handed reliever, Eli Reichmann, held Klein scoreless for three straight innings. But the Bearkats tied it up in the sixth on another two-out RBI single from Nick Tamez.

On to the seventh inning they went, where Preston Potter worked himself into, and out of, another bases loaded jam. After two walks and an HBP, the Klein bullpen scrambled to get a pitcher loose, but Potter was able to get an infield pop-up for the last out of the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Stephen Lopez singled with one out, and Ruben Aguirre was hit by a pitch. After leadoff hitter Greyson Lembcke flew out to right, the Bearkats had two on and two out. That’s when senior outfielder Austin Trammell, a Rice Football recruit, came to the plate. Trammel sent a 2-0 fastball deep into right field. Off the bat it looked to be a home run, but the ball hit the top of the fence and ended up recorded as a single. Either way, the winning run would score for the walk-off victory. Klein 8, Memorial 7.

With the win, Klein moves into sole possession of first place in District 15-6A at 9-1. This lines up a big matchup with Klein Collins, currently in second place at 8-2, for the last week of the regular season.

STATS

Klein
P. Potter: (W) 4 IP, 5 K, 0 H, 2 BB, HBP
A. Trammel: 1-5, RBI
J. Gonzalez: 1-3, 2 R, BB
N. Candelari: 1-1, RBI, 3 BB
N. Tamez: 2-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB
M. Shipman: 1-4, 2 RBI
S. Lopez: 2-4, R, RBI

Memorial
B. Stubbs: 3-4, 2 R
N. Mabee: 3-4, RBI
B. Gregory: 2-3, RBI
J. Williams: 1-4, 4 RBI, HR
E. Reichmann: (L) 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K, 5 BB

Visit our Houston Scout Blog to see scouting notes on this game and others.

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