Stamford edges Gruver in a pair of one-run games during the UIL Region I-2A Division II championship

Gruver (21-3) was in that position Saturday thanks to the bizarre ending of game one Thursday. The Greyhounds led by a run heading into the bottom of the seventh before Stamford tied it, and with the bases loaded turned a groundout at home plate into the controversial game-winning run which handed Gruver a 7-6 loss.

“We did not blame the umpires for that loss,” said Gruver coach Khris Kelp of game one, which will be discussed later. “We had plenty of opportunities to take care of business where that call didn’t matter. We just want our kids to press forward and forget the past and respond the way that they did. I thought they were a resilient group of guys that did exactly what we asked.”

The Greyhounds never led in the second game but were never out of it at all. After Stamford (20-4) scored an unearned run off Gruver starter Briggs Satterfield for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Greyhounds responded in the bottom of the inning when Satterfield led off with a single.

Stamford starter Alek Hernandez hit Stephen Cowan and Jett Pittman with pitches to load the bases before walking Bo Cowan on a full count with two outs to bring Satterfield home and tie it 1-1.  However, that sums up Gruver’s offense for the day.

With two outs in the top of the third, Stamford took the lead when Brayden Jimenez singled to center, stole second and scored on Kaston Vega’s single to center for a 2-1 lead. Hernandez made that hold up the rest of the way.

For the next four innings, Hernandez and Satterfield matched each other by putting up zeroes. The only time either team got a runner to third base the rest of the way was in the top of the seventh when the Bulldogs put runners on the corners against Satterfield with two outs and he was pulled for Brock Butler after crossing the 100-pitch plateau.

“Briggs is a competitor and that’s what I like about him so much,” Kelp said. “He’s doing it for the team and that’s all you can ask him to do. I’m really proud of him.”

Butler got Vega to fly out to right with the bases loaded to end the inning, giving the Greyhounds one last chance in the bottom of the inning. Satterfield wasn’t pitching anymore, but he still wasn’t done yet.

Hernandez retired Gruver’s first two hitters, and when Merit Cudd grounded the ball to Stamford third baseman Jimenez, the game appeared done. However, Jimenez threw wide of first base, allowing Cudd to reach safely.

It was reminiscent of the area round of the postseason two weeks earlier, when Satterfield appeared to ground out to third for the final out with two outs against Tahoka, which would have forced a third game. However, the throw was spiked short of first, keeping the game alive and setting up Stephen Cowan’s three-run double to cape a six-run inning which gave Gruver an eventual 7-6 lead and a series sweep.

And who should come up against Stamford after Cudd reached on a similar play than Satterfield, who in three previous at-bats against Hernandez had three hits. One pitch later it was four, as Satterfield reached on an infield single and represented the winning run at first base.

Unfortunately for the Greyhounds, Satterfield’s four hits were the only ones they got off Hernandez. Butler grounded to second two pitches later to end the game.

“Ultimately it wasn’t enough, and we lost and that’s all I care about,” Satterfield said. “That’s just something we preach all the time that you want to be that guy. You’re born for this. You want to be that guy who gets up there and be the hero.”

That didn’t quite turn out to be the case, although it could have very easily been different. The Greyhounds lost a pair of one run games which came down to the final out and could have at the very least been playing a game three.

“Calling around and finding out stuff about (the Greyhounds) I knew they were going to be extremely tough,” Stamford coach Steven Gould said. “They put the ball in play both games. I honestly thought it might go three. It easily could have gone to that.”

Stamford put the first two batters of the inning on base against Gruver reliever Butler, who entered in the sixth and retired the Bulldogs in order after the Greyhounds scored five runs to take a 6-5 lead. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Stamford’s Mason Vega singled to left to drive home Levi Vahlenkamp with the tying run and put runners on the corners.

That was the normal part of the inning. Gruver opted to intentionally walk Alek Hernandez to load the bases and face Caden Moreno. On a 1-2 count, Moreno barely made contact and dribbled the ball in front of home plate where Gruver catcher Pittman picked up the ball and appeared to tag out Moreno.

However, that removed the force play at home, and amidst the confusion as to whether or not Moreno made contact with the pitch, Stamford’s Christian Duran, who had walked, scored from third base with the winning run. After a conference among the umpires, it was determined that Moreno had hit the ball in fair territory and that it was a live play, giving the Bulldogs the winning run.

That negated a big sixth inning by Gruver, as the Greyhounds tied it 5-5  on Stephen Cowan’s two-run single and took the lead on Pittman’s RBI ground out.

Cowan started on the mound and gave up five runs in five innings, but only one of them was earned, as the Greyhounds hurt themselves with five errors. He’s one of only two seniors on a team which officially has high hopes for next season.

“Those seniors are great leaders and we’ll definitely miss them, but hopefully we’ll have somebody step up and fill those roles and take care of business the way they did,” Kelp said. “The future’s bright if we have our mind right.”

Stamford (20-4) will play defending 2A state champions in the state semifinals next week.