On their way to a 14-3- 1 pre-district record, the North Forney Falcons averaged fewer than six hits and six runs per game. Following a 23-0 blowout win over Lancaster in the opener, the Falcons scored more than five runs in a game just five times over their next 17 games. They scored three runs or less in nine of their first 18 games.
However, perhaps as an indication of the personality of the 2021 team, the Falcons were 6-3 in those games. As testament to their pitching and defensive, North Forney gave up two runs or fewer in 14 of their first 18 games and were 6-0 in one-run games.
Picked to finish fourth in the tough District 13-5A by Texas High School Baseball, North Forney opened district play Tuesday, March 16, against a Royse City Bulldogs team that was predicted to finish one spot ahead of them. And, after struggling at times to generate offense in the predistrict season, the North Forney Falcons jumped on the Bulldogs early in a 12-0 blowout win in a game played in Royse City.
The Falcons got off to a rocky start against the Bulldogs as errors by infielders Graham Danziger and Jorge Herrera allowed the first two Royse City batters to reach base in the bottom of the first inning. Facing the heart of the lineup, pitcher Preston Crow shut down the rally with three straight strikeouts, including outfielder Tyson Neighbors, the Bulldogs’ slugger who was highlighted by Texas High School Baseball as one of the top 50 players in Region II.
After weathering the first inning storm, the Falcons broke through with one run to take an early lead in the second inning. Senior first baseman Jaden Gonzalez got the Falcons started with a triple into the left field corner. Bulldogs’ pitcher Seth Seise was able to set the next two Falcons’ down on strikes before Cole Cather lined his 3-1 pitch into left field for a double.
After throwing 23 pitches in the first inning, Crow made quick work of Royse City in the bottom of the second inning, needing only nine pitches to set the Bulldogs down in order. He then watched his teammates explode for six runs in the top of the third inning to blow the game open, 7-0.
Junior left fielder Juan Cantua opened the inning by slapping Seise’s first pitch back up the middle for a single and moved to second when Seise’s pickoff attempt sailed wide of first base. Cantua was gunned down at the plate trying to score on senior catcher Elian Gonzales’ double for the first out of the inning. However, Gonzales moved to third on the play and scored, extending the Falcons’ lead to 2-0, when third baseman Kade Owen could not handle the throw back from catcher Braden Marking.
Following a ground out by Garrett Williams, the Falcons got singles from Gonzalez, Herrera, and JJ Humes to push the lead to 3-0 before Cather again singled to drive in his second and third runs of the game giving the Falcons a 5-0 lead. Danziger followed Cather by driving a ball deep to left center field for a ground-rule double, and both came home when junior center fielder Nick Gray lined a 2-0 pitch into left field for another double.
Seise, who was visibly frustrated, slammed the ball into the Royse City turf after coaxing a groundball out from Cantua to end the inning.
The lead stayed 7-0 until the fifth inning, when the Falcons’ offense once again came alive.
Reliever Joel Hulsey opened the inning by walking Cather, who moved to second on a single by Danziger. Connor Reynolds came in to relieve Hulsey following Danziger’s base hit and immediately walked Gray to load the bases. Consecutive singles by Cantua, Gonzales and Williams resulted in four runs giving the Falcons an 11-0 lead. The Falcons’ 12th and final run came on a two-out single by Herrera.
Each of the Falcons’ batters had a hit and scored at least one run in the game, and seven of the nine had two hits.
While the Falcons’ offense was making a lot of noise, Crow was quietly mowing down the Bulldogs hitters. The sophomore right hander worked quickly and was in control all night getting 11 of the first 12 Bulldogs’ outs by strikeout. Mixing his fastball and curveball effectively, Crow finished the five-inning game with 12 strikeouts. He gave up just two hits, walking one and hitting one batter.
After watching Crow set a high bar for Falcons’ pitchers, junior Cole Lancaster took the mound in Friday’s series finale against the Bulldogs at North Forney High School. In the back-and-forth battle that most people expected from two equally matched teams that should battle for a playoff spot, the Falcons overcame two deficits to take the 5-4 victory in eight innings.
Two errors by Crow, playing third base in game two, led to a Bulldogs’ run in the top of the first inning. However, Lancaster limited the damage by striking out three in the inning, including Neighbors, his fourth straight strikeout in the series.
The Falcons jumped back into the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when right fielder Gabe Forer dropped a routine, two-out fly ball off the bat of Humes allowing Gonzalez, who had tripled, and Tanner Ferry, running for Crow, to score.
The Falcons’ slim 2-1 lead did not last long as Royse City tallied three in the top of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead.
Crow’s third error of the game allowed Forer to reach base safely to open the fifth. Forer went to second on the play and a balk by Lancaster moved him to third. Forer scored on a single to right field off the bat of Joseph Morales. After Morales was gunned down trying to steal second base, Rowdy Chandler reached base on a third strike pitch that got by Gonzales, bringing Neighbors to the plate with two outs.
After fouling off three pitches, Neighbors drove a fourth straight fastball over the 358-sign in left center field for a two-run home run, giving the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the series at 4-2.
A raucous Royse City crowd that spent most of the evening banging on 5-gallon Home Depot buckets and celebrating every positive Bulldogs’ play with Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out” blaring from the boombox was quieted in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Pitcher Kade Owen started the inning by walking Williams and Gonzalez and Crow reached on a bunt single to load the bases. The runners all moved up 90 feet on a passed ball and the Falcons tied the score when Humes lifted a sacrifice fly to left fielder Morales off reliever Keegan Smith.
Both teams went 1-2-3 in the seventh inning, and Falcons’ reliever Jayden Olsen worked out an eighth-inning jam before Cather provided the heroics.
Gonzalez opened the Falcons’ half of the eighth inning with a single to left and moved to second on Olsen’s sacrifice bunt. After Humes flew out for the first out of the inning, Cather fouled off the first pitch from Morales, who relieved Smith following the Gonzalez single, before lacing a line drive past third base for the game winning hit.
Lancaster went five innings for the Falcons, giving up four runs (0 ER) on three hits and matching Crow with 12 strikeouts, while walking three batters. Gonzalez and Olsen combined to pitch three innings, giving up no hits and striking out three batters apiece.
The 5-4 win leaves the Falcons at 2-0 in district play and, following an 11-1 non-district win against Mesquite High School on Saturday, North Forney is 17-3-1 overall.
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