Fort Worth Christian Goes Perfect in First Home Stand of the Season.

Fort Worth Christian (Cardinals) hosted a private high school tournament this weekend, with games scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Cardinals opened the tournament with a doubleheader Thursday evening first facing off against Legacy Christian. 

Thursday

Game 1:

The Cardinals scored early, taking a 1-0 lead just two batters into the game. Leadoff batter Griffin Carney doubled to the left field wall and stole third. Grady Emerson capitalized on the scoring opportunity, hitting a single to left field to drive in Carney for the early advantage.

Fort Worth Christian extended its lead in the third inning. After Griffin Carney struck out, Emerson singled, and Braylen James walked on four pitches. Jaxon Casselberry then hit a first-pitch single to left, scoring Emerson and making it 2-0.

The Cardinals added to their lead in the fifth when Jake Parkerson hit a two-out single, scoring Emerson from third. In the sixth, Emerson notched his second double and fourth hit of the game, driving in Andrew Ridgell to make it a 4-0 game.

While Fort Worth Christian tallied 11 hits and four runs, the early lead was all their pitching staff needed. Right-hander David Salas led the effort on the mound, pitching five innings of control. He allowed just one hit, two walks, and hit one batter, while striking out seven. Fred Hall relieved Salas in the sixth, allowing only one walk over two innings and closing out the game for the Cardinals' 4-0 victory. 

Game 2: 

After a quick turnaround, the Cardinals faced Cornerstone Christian in Game 2, with Andrew Ridgell taking the mound.

The Cardinals took an early lead in the second inning. Jake Parkerson doubled, and Hank Austin singled him home. A pitcher's error advanced the runner, allowing Blayne MacDonald to drive him in with a grounder, putting the Cardinals up 2-0.

Cornerstone quickly responded in the third, taking advantage of Ridgell with a walk and a double. A grounder scored their first run, followed by back-to-back hits that gave them a 3-2 lead. After a strikeout, Cornerstone added a fourth run, making it 4-2 going into the bottom of the third.

The Cardinals immediately erased the deficit in the bottom of the third. Pierson walked, and though forced out on a Carney grounder, Carney eventually scored on a wild pitch after an Emerson single. Braylen James reached on a dropped third strike, setting up Jake Parkerson to single past the shortstop, scoring Emerson and tying the game at 4.

The bullpen, led by Samuel Welsh and Ben Rodriguez, stifled Cornerstone's offense for the rest of the game, allowing just one hit and a walk over 2 1/3 innings.

In the bottom of the fifth, with time running out, Griffin Carney singled. Grady Emerson then launched a fastball deep into right-center, scoring Carney from first and giving the Cardinals a 5-4 lead. The game concluded two batters later, as time expired, securing Fort Worth Christian's hard-fought 5-4 victory.

Friday

Fort Worth Christian faced Dallas HSAA (Angels) on Friday night, with Caleb Brateris pitching for the Cardinals.

Fort Worth Christian scored first. Leadoff batter Griffin Carney was hit by a pitch, then stole second and third. Grady Emerson singled to left-center, bringing Carney home. Emerson then stole second, advanced to third on a flyout, and scored on a sacrifice fly, extending the Cardinals' early lead.

Dallas HSAA countered with two runs in the top of the third. Following two quick outs, a walk and a single put runners on. An errant throw into the dugout allowed one runner to score. An error then extended the inning, leading to a game-tying double before Emerson's cutoff throw to home plate gunned down the potential go-ahead runner.

Fort Worth Christian quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the third. After the first two batters reached base, Carney was picked off, but Emerson advanced to second. Braylen James then singled to right, scoring Emerson and putting the Cardinals up 3-2.

Fort Worth Christian extended its lead in the fifth. The leadoff batter walked. Emerson stole second and advanced to third on an error, setting up runners at the corners. The runner at first then stole second, and Jake Parkerson singled to right field, driving in a run for a 5-2 lead. Parkerson would make his way to third after a Hit batter and a walk before scoring via a sacrifice-fly making it a 6-2 lead. Hunter Hampton would hit a sacrifice-fly making it a 7-2  ballgame. The time limit was reached two batters later ending the ballgame. 

Saturday games were canceled due to inclement  weather headed into the Metroplex area with no confirmed make up dates.  

Summary

Fort Worth Christian improved to 6-1 on the season after finishing the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record.

Key to the weekend's success was the bullpen's efficiency. Over the three games, relievers combined for 6 1/3 innings, allowing only one hit and three walks while shutting down opponents without giving up a run.

In addition to strong pitching, the Cardinals' offense was potent throughout the three games. They amassed 22 hits and stole 12 bases, creating problems for opposing pitchers and catchers.

Beyond the dominant bullpen, Grady Emerson was the standout of the tournament, going 7-for-9 with four RBIs and two stolen bases.

Photo via Tyler Rix, FWC Baseball