White Oak Upsets No. 2 Beckville, 4-1

BECKVILLE -- Elijah Trest delivered the pitch, sending the batter back to the dugout for the final time Friday night.

He turned around and pumped his fist as emotion overtook him. It was only natural. Trest struck out three of four batters in the seventh inning against No. 2 Beckville to secure a 4-1 victory for White Oak.

All game long, he paced the Roughneck defense, allowing only three hits and striking out nine. When White Oak took a 4-1 lead into the bottom final inning, coach Skylar Stagner had no doubts Trest would come up with the final three outs. He was so confident in his pitcher, he didn't even bother with a pep talk.

"He wanted the ball in his hands," Stagner said. "He just did his job. It wasn't him trying to overpower anybody at the end. It was him saying, 'I'm fixing to finish this thing off right here.'"

After Trest struck out the first hitter in three pitches, he allowed a single. He threw only two balls after that, striking out the final two batters.

"I just wanted to finish the game," he said. "We had played a good game. The defense was making plays, we were hitting the ball and I just wanted to close it out. To get a win over the No. 2 team in the state, that's big time for us."

The game was even most of the night. The first runners on base scored for both teams, resulting in a 1-1 tie after the first inning. From there, it was a defensive bout. No runs would be scored until the sixth inning, when Layton Anderson sent a bomb to centerfield that rolled all the way back to the fence.

Not only did the hit advance Anderson to third base, it also scored Dalton Sumrow to give the Roughnecks (10-4, 3-0 District 16-3A) their first lead since the first inning.

"There is no doubt that that was the momentum shifter of the entire game," Stagner said. "It really allowed us to know that we had the opportunity to finish it off right there."

Although Beckville (11-1, 2-1) kept the Roughnecks from scoring any more that inning, it couldn't stave them off for long. The offense was in full swing, as Heath Hood and Kason Kienzle scored in the following inning.

White Oak now turns its focus to Waskom, which it will play at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the road. Beckville will hope to bounce back when it faces Harleton, also at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Harleton.

For Trest and the rest of the Roughnecks, the memory of taking down the No. 2 team won't soon fade. However, he said the team will continue to look forward, its sights set upon larger goals.

"We've got to keep working hard," Trest said. "It's one step on the road to where we're headed, but we just need to keep getting better. Our end goal is definitely a state championship, but first and foremost, it's winning district outright and getting a good start in the playoffs."