A two-game sweep of Mansfield Summit has the Waxahachie Indians one win from a playoff berth.

Head baseball coach Tracy Wood, however, said the Indians began their postseason run this week.

“We are in the playoffs,” said Wood matter-of-factly following an 8-2 win Thursday at home against Summit. “We are fighting for our life right now. We have to go beat these guys (Grand Prairie) on Tuesday and we have to get ready to play. I feel good about it, and I think our guys will be ready and will be prepared. It’s going to be a battle, for sure.”

Weather forced the Indians to relocate Thursday’s series finale against Summit from Richards Park to the turf field on the campus of Waxahachie High School. And it’s a good thing the Waxahachie arms got the memo, as the Indians used four pitchers to close out the two-game sweep.

Peyton Graham tossed the first four innings and earned the victory after he allowed just one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out five.

Casey Kelly then allowed one run in the top of the fifth inning despite not surrendering a hit. Jordan Fay recorded a clean sixth inning and Christian Gonzales picked up his first save of the season with two strikeouts in a clean seventh inning.

The Indians bats recorded six hits during the win, highlighted by an Xavian Thompson double and Anthony Mata triple.

Thompson and Campbell Sullivan each drove in a pair of runs, while Graham, DJ Hollywood and Mata each had one RBI.

“I thought we played well, swung the bat well and pitched well,” Wood said. “I don’t know of an error that we had, to be honest with you. I didn’t think we prepared very well for Tuesday night. I kind of put a challenge out there to come a little more prepared tonight and I thought they did that. I’m happy with it and it’s a W.”

TUESDAY

The Indians, who suffered a two-game sweep against Grand Prairie this past week, began the two-series by escaping Mansfield with a 3-2 win against Summit on Tuesday.

And escape they did, as Summit entered the game with just two 7-6A wins to eight losses on the season.
Waxahachie needed a two-run seventh inning to do so, too.

The Indians did manage to score first in the ball game when Peyton Graham sent a two-out single back up the middle and scored a few pitches later on an error. Campbell Sullivan put the ball in play that the Summit second baseman couldn’t handle.

The Jaguars took their first and only lead of the tilt in the bottom of the third inning.

Dayton Farrar singled and Sebastian Reyes reached on an Indian error four pitches later to put a pair of runners on base. Farrar scored via a wild pitch and Reyes did the same a couple of pitches later.

Summit starting pitcher Kaden Sebastian was nails for the ensuing five innings after he allowed the first-inning run. He exited the ball game after six-plus innings with six strikeouts to one walk on his ledger and having scattered three hits.

It was the third hit that knocked him out the game, though.

Anthony Mata led off the top of the seventh inning with a double to left field to chase Sebastian from the contest.
Summit head baseball coach Johnny Lyell turned the ball over to Omar Camacho, who promptly walked Adam Carrizales on five pitches.

Camacho recorded a strikeout for the first out of the inning four pitches later, only to then surrender the tying run on a Xavian Thompson sacrifice bunt that plated pinch-runner Garrett Milliken.


Aaron Tesei then rolled into a fielder’s choice at second base to plate pinch-runner Connor Watson for the 3-2 Waxahachie lead.

With a second chance on the bump with a one-run lead, Tesei closed out his complete-game victory with a pair of strikeouts and an easy ground ball handled by Graham at shortstop.

Tesei struck out seven Jaguars in the win and walked two. He only allowed two hits and both runs scored by Summitt were unearned.

Graham, Mata and Sage Hampton recorded the only three hits for the Indians on Tuesday.