Jackets earn playoff berth with road win over Life

Jackets - Heritage Baseball 05 — Stephenville rode three RBI at the dish and three innings on the hill by Caleb Gibbons to a 4-3 win over Glen Rose Friday. || Flash file photo

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(April 22, 2017) — Stephenville (17-7-2, 6-5) held off Waxahachie Life, 5-4, on the road Friday, punching the Yellow Jackets’ ticket to the UIL 4A state baseball playoffs.

The Jackets picked up a much-needed insurance run when Cody Storrs surprised the Life infield with a two-out bunt for a base hit that plated Gatlin Wells in the top of the seventh inning. Pitching and defense then secured the victory in the bottom of the seventh.

The tying run reached first to begin the last at bat for life, but sophomore short stop Derek Gifford came through with the biggest defensive play of the inning when he moved to his left to field a ground ball, stepped on the bag at second for one out and fired to first for a double play.

But Life wouldn’t die so easily, rallying to cut it to 5-4 before getting the tying run to third base.

But that’s when Caleb Smith earned his save, completing his second inning of relief work with a strikeout to end the game, leaving the tying run stranded 90 feet from the plate and sending the Yellow Jackets into the playoffs from District 8-4A.

Smith was relieving Caleb Gibbons, who had 11 strikeouts in five innings. Gibbons’ biggest strikeout ended the fifth inning after Life cut its deficit to 4-3 and had runners in scoring position.

The Jackets led almost the entire way, breaking a 2-2 tie on a sac fly by Storrs that brought in a run in the top of the fifth after Life had drawn even in the bottom of the fourth. Trevor Easter also drove in Clay Krause in the fifth, making it 4-2.

The Jackets jumped on top 2-0 in the top of the first before the Life pitcher helped his own cause with a solo home run in the bottom of the second, and Life tied the score with a base hit and a walk in the bottom of the fourth.

Stephenville had five hits – two by Storrs and one each from Gifford, Easter and Gibbons.

The Jackets will not face Kennedale on Saturday. It will be junior varsity teams only because the varsity clubs are likely to meet in the opening round of the playoffs.

The varsity squad concludes its regular season when Glen Rose visits James T. Young Baseball Field for Stephenville’s senior night at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28.