Top-Ranked Hughes Springs Moves to 32-0 With 9-2 Rout of Grandview in Game 1

TYLER -- Thirty-two straight.

The Hughes Springs Mustangs won their 32nd consecutive game on Thursday behind the bats of Cody Hawkins and Chad McKinney, and rode the arm of junior Dylan Moore in defeating Grandview 9-2 in Game 1 of their Class 2A Region II semifinal series at Irwin Field.

The Mustangs (32-0), ranked No. 1 in by the THSBCA, had a six-run third inning that proved to be too much for Grandview. Multi-RBI singles from Eric Berryhill and Asa Gaul, mixed in with run-scoring hits by McKinney and Zach Bassham gave Moore all the run support he needed.

Hawkins and McKinney went a combined 7-for-10 with two doubles, four stolen bases and four RBIs.

Everyone in the Hughes Springs order got on base at least once.

"We talk about it every day, but everyone has to contribute," said first-year Hughes Springs coach Kent Craig. "I told them, 'when an opportunity presents itself, you have to score runs. We can't leave runs on the board. You get a chance, you have to pick them up.'"

Moore went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits, finishing with 10 strikeouts. He ran into trouble with a 37-pitch bottom of the third, but after a meeting on the mound, Craig liked what he saw.

"He did a good job tonight, he competes," Craig said. "That's what you're going to get when you put any of our pitchers on the mound. We're going to get 100-percent effort. Dylan is our workhorse. He's going to go out there, throw a lot of strikes for us. He did a good job and kept us in the ballgame."

A Hawkins two-run double in the fifth  and run-scoring single in the seventh rounded out the scoring for the Mustangs.

Chase Goldwater had a two-RBI single in the third for the only runs for Grandview (24-9).

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sunnyvale High School.

"I know what we're going to get and that's great effort from our kids," Craig said. "I can guarantee right now we're going to come out and play hard. From (Grandview), we'll probably see the Goldwater kid, their No. 1. He's a hard-thrower and their workhorse. I'd imagine it will be a low-scoring game, but any time a coach says that, it turns out to be a dad-gum football score. But that's how we'll anticipate it.

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Hughes Springs 9, Grandview 2

Class 2A Region II Semifinal
Game 1

UT Tyler's Irwin Field

Hughes Springs        006    020    1    --    9   15    0
Grandview               002    000    0    --    2     7    2

Hughes Springs: Dylan Moore, Zach Bassham and Chad McKinney. Grandview: Maverick Bason, Neil Adcock, Devin Crawford, and Aaron Holliday.

WP -- Moore.
LP -- Bason.

2B -- Hughes Springs: Hawkins, McKinney, Bassham. Grandview: Adcock.

Records -- Hughes Springs: 32-0. Grandview: 24-9.