Highlander baseball wins an extra inning thriller on Diamond Darling Night

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Chris Andritsos and the persistent Woodlands Highlander baseball team manufactured a huge win over a mostly all returning 2014 5A Final Four participant, Atascocita (10-9, 0-3) 4-3 Wednesday night in an extra inning thriller at Scotland Yard.

Andritsos led off the bottom of the 10th inning and proceeded to drill the third pitch he saw through the trees sending the 634 fans in attendance into a frenzy. The Woodlands (8-6, 2-1) senior most assuredly pulled his weight in hitting two bombs while going nine innings on the bump striking out 15 giving way to Steven Beard with the score knotted up at three.

Beard, just a freshman exhibited the composure of a college freshman in taking care of the Eagles in the top half of the tenth enabling Andritsos to take center stage at the plate. Credit the gutsy frosh with the W.

Andritsos wasn't surprised the Eagles pitched to him...

"You know, it's their call and they had me all night. I only had one hit to that point and you don't want to put the winning run on base. I wasn't even thinking of walking because I want that situation. I was so tired. I just wanted the game to end."

The Highlanders went down 1-0 in the second inning as Atascocita infielder Nico Garza drilled an RBI double to the left-centerfield gap. The Eagles maintained that lead until the fourth when Andritsos hit his first home run onto the auxiliary soccer field beyond the right field wall.

Both teams held their own until the top half of the sixth when Atascocita's Alerick Soularie singled home Anthony Pagano who had singled and later advanced to third via a steal and a Woodlands error.

The Eagles 2-1 lead was looking good until the bottom of the seventh when Highlander senior Zach Gartner plated Tommy Simutis to send the game into extra innings.

Atascocita was at it again in their half of the eighth as Pagano, with the hot bat again smashed a triple off the centerfield wall. The Woodlands relay throw found it's way into the Eagles third base dugout and Pagano breezed home staking his team to a 3-2 lead.

Once again, the pesky Highlanders were having none of it as in the bottom of the eighth, senior Nick White doubled home Casey Stokes and the game that wouldn't end was now headed into the ninth.

No runs came across for either team in the ninth. The Chris Andritsos show was about to begin.

Lucas Jensen had two hits for The Woodlands. Pagano and Soularie had three and two in order for Atascocita.

Ralph Biondi turned in a gutsy performance on the mound for Atascocita but took the loss.

Coach Ron Eastman likes what he sees in his charges...

"Atascocita is a great club that went to the state tournament last year and they put the bat on the ball. We have guys that play real hard and I'm just so proud of the way they compete", Eastman continued..."I'm real proud of Chris (Andritsos) for being so patient at the plate because he's not seeing a lot of good pitches. Guys are pitching around him. I'm just glad they pitched to him in the tenth."

The Woodlands next district game is at home on Monday against Oak Ridge at 7pm.