CL Hawks have Clutch Performance in Win over Copperas Cove, 3-0
A happy post-game talk after a clutch win over CC, 3-0.
Canyon Lake’s performance was clutch as the Hawks held on for a 3-0 win over Copperas Cove to run their season record to 6-1 as their next stop will be in Hondo at the South Texas Slugfest starting on Thursday.
Signature Homes says, Go Hawks!
This was vintage CL, that had the Hawk pitching come of age, with Starter Tanner Schultz picking up his 15th career win that leads for the all-time record and is now 3-0 to start this season.
Schultz with this shut-out now has a career earned run average (era) down below 2 runs at 1.92 and he closes in on 100 strikeouts with 95.
“Tanner had all 5 of his pitches for strikes tonight,” Head Coach Victor Escamilla started. “When I was watching him warm up he had a pitch that was a change up and it had a pop in the catcher’s mitt and I knew that he would have a good night.”
On playing a 6A School and with a rash of more games this week, “People think I’m crazy for having this type of schedule but we have to check out our depth in pitching and a game like this gives us confidence as these are stepping stones that we need to do as the players do whatever we ask and they are up for the challenge.”
Coach Escamilla commenting on how Hayden Baker performed to preserve in this win, “I told him he had to be ready and he had great control…you may have good or bad things that happen during a game and when good things happen we are going to use everyone we can.”
This contest settled into a pitching dual with CL’s Schultz and CC’s David Cimmino having both pitchers finishing with 10 strikeouts.
World’s Finest say Hawks are Too!
With the score still knotted at 0 runs a piece, Tyler Pauly started the 6th inning with his second walk of the night which was followed with a sacrifice bunt from James LaLonde.
Schultz would then help his cause with a single that put runners on the corners.
Pauly would score the first run on a passed ball that moved pinch runner Peyton McMullen to second base. Then a single off the bat of Griffen Williams and a left field gapper on a Hunter Anderson double provided the insurance runs needed to finish this game in the win column.
That final at bat for the Bulldawgs would present some added drama to this evening tho.
Pitcher McMullen started this inning by hitting a batter and then a walk that had a Coach Escamilla calling for Hayden Baker to help finish this still in doubt contest.
Hayden Baker strikes out the side in win over the Bulldawgs, 3-0.
Baker would add more drama by loading the bases after hitting the second CC player leaving no where else to put runners.
With still no outs, Baker would strike-out the next 3 batters for the win which preserved the shut out and win for Canyon Lake.
On what his reaction to that last inning, Baker said, “Excitement!! This was so much fun…I love being put in pressure situations as I thrive on having to execute to get us out of this game.”
Baker continued, “I just continued to think on throwing strikes.” Which was evident as 9 of his final 12 pitches were strikes to finish the game.
“You just have to forget and play defense,” Baker said when commenting on his mini slump to start this campaign and then taking the mound after fielding third base. “It is a whole different mindset when you are asked to pitch.”
With two outs in the books when CL scored their 3 runs, had Hunter Anderson with a chance to continue his hot hitting and getting a solid double between left and center field.
“I was thinking fastball,” Hunter Anderson said like a soothsayer. “It was a big hit and I wanted to score my brother (Chase Anderson was the courtesy runner after the Williams single).”
On thoughts for teammate Baker, “We call him clutch…he has been working hard and there was no doubt that he would do it!”
Canyon Lake will now take these clutch situations on the road for the South Texas Slugfest where they will be Pooled with Hondo, Pearsall, Cornerstone, and Brentwood Christian schools.
Hunter Anderson’s towering double scores Chase Anderson in Hawk win.
The Lake will have consecutive double headers on Thursday and Friday, with a chance for two more battles on Saturday.
This situation gave even more credence for having Baker proving his worth in a pressure situation that should have this same player with a chance to start later this week.
Baker only pitched 2 innings last season for the varsity. The key word is pitching for the Varsity as Coach Escamilla did move Baker down to Junior Varsity so there would be more cases of having this player getting time on the pitching mound.
Those moves helped in producing a clutch situation for this win.
Way to Go Hawks!!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Copperas Cove 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
CL Hawks 0 0 0 0 0 3 X 3 4 0
name ab r h bi 2b bb so misc
Tyler Pauly 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 pik
James LaLonde 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 sac
Tanner Schultz 3 0 1 0 0 0 1
pr Peyton McMullen 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 sb
Matthew McLain 3 0 0 0 0 0 3
Griffen Williams 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 hbp
pr Chase Anderson 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Hunter Anderson 3 0 1 1 1 0 1
Dalton Stanley 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
ph Brayden Welch 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Jeremy Greene 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
ph Gunnar Walker 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Ty Sellers 2 0 1 0 0 0 1
Totals 20 3 4 2 1 3 11
pitching ip h r er bb so hb W L S
Tanner Schultz (3-0) 6.0 3 0 0 0 10 1 1 0 0
Peyton McMullen 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
Hayden Baker 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 1
Totals 7.0 3 0 0 1 13 3 1 0 1
Pitches-Strikes: Tanner Schultz 82-61
Peyton McMullen 12-4
Hayden Baker 16-11
First Pitch Strikes: Tanner Schultz 21-23
Peyton McMullen 1-2
Hayden Baker 3-4
