Photo: Dewitt, Jeffrey (uploader)
CORPUS CHRISTI – The Class 3A State Champion London Pirates were recognized at Whataburger Field Saturday night as the Hooks and Amarillo Sod Poodles squared off.
In the school’s second consecutive trip to the state baseball tournament, London edged Gunter, 4-1, in the semifinal before engineering a 16-13 come-from-behind victory over Brock in a wild state final showdown June 11 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
The Pirates rallied from a 4-0 hole in the first by scoring 11 unanswered runs to help secure the program’s first state title. Sophomore third baseman Blake Watters was named MVP after going 2-for-2 with two doubles, two sac flies and five RBIs. Watters finished the contest on the hill, striking out two over 2.0 scoreless innings to earn the save.
Senior pitcher Kade Budd, senior catcher Jayden Martinez, sophomore first baseman Landon Salinas and sophomore shortstop Mason Jacob also earned spots on the Class 3A all-tournament team.
Led by head coaches Kevin Carr and Albert Amaya, the Pirates finished the year with a 26-13 record. London shook off a five game losing streak to end the regular season by going 10-1 in the playoffs. The Pirates took two of three from district rival Bishop in the regional finals.