Leps End Baseball Postseason Drought

It was a celebration eight years in the making.

La Grange had not won a baseball playoff series since their 2013 state title year, but that drought ended in dramatic fashion Saturday as the Leps overcame Salado in an epic best-of-three series.

The first two games were each decided by one run, but La Grange won the final game 2-0.

When outfielder Clay Wolff caught the final out of Game 3, it touched off a wild celebration at Leps Field. The La Grange players piled onto one another in the infield. They dumped a bucket of icewater on head coach Robert Barber. One player ran around waving a big LG flag.

“I have always wanted to do one of those dogpiles,” said La Grange senior first baseman Braeden Wilder, who scored the game winner Friday, and one of the two key runs on Game 3.

“First playoff win since 2013, that’s pretty exciting,” said sophomore Trenton Barnes, who pitched a complete game shutout in Game 3.

Eight years of postseason frustration for themselves and the players that had come before them was erased Saturday.

“I don’t have words for this,” said La Grange manager Robert Barber, of his first playoff series win in a La Grange uniform. “It was incredible how these guys battled this weekend. It was a grind. Salado was a great team, a great program.”

But La Grange (15-11) was just a little better and now the Leps advance to face Rusk (20- 7) in the area round. Rusk boasts a lefty ace pitcher, junior JD Thompson, who has verbally committed to Vanderbilt University.

Game 1 is Thursday at 5 p.m. in Navasota.

Game 2 is at 7:30 p.m. in Navasota.

If necessary, a Game 3 would be 3 p.m. Saturday in Mumford.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us in the next series,” Barber said. “They have one of the best pitchers in the state of Texas. We just need to throw strikes and play clean defense.”

The Leps certainly head into the second round feeling good after the thrilling series against Salado.

Game one Friday in Salado was won 7-6 by La Grange. The Leps were patient at the plate, drawing eight walks and nine hits from eight different players. Clay Wolff had two of those hits, and also started the game on the mound, pitching five innings before Kaleb Pyle hurled two scoreless innings of relief.

The winning run for La Grange that night came in the form of Wilder, who scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning.

In Game 2, Salado evened the series with a 3-2 win.

La Grange struck out 12 times in that game, but still left 12 men on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and seventh innings. Wyatt Wick pitched a complete game for the Leps in Game 2, striking out nine and walking only one, and allowing just a single earned run. But errors led to a pair of other runs for Salado. Offensively in that game for La Grange, both runs scored in the fourth inning. Kadyn Hall walked, Wolff singled and then Hall scored on a single by Trenton Barnes. Wolff would later score on a Salado error.

Salado’s win in Game 2 set the stage for the decisive Game 3 Saturday night.

Sophomore Barnes, who said he did not know he was going to pitch before the game, took the ball and hurled a complete game shutout, striking out eight and walking none.

“I was surprised (to be pitching), but I just went out there and did my job,” Barnes said.

He allowed only five hits.

“He pitched his heart out,” Wilder said.

“What we got on the mound from sophomore Trenton Barnes was incredible and we had good defense behind him,” Barber said.

La Grange got all the offense they would need in the bottom of the first inning.

Cameron Kruse and Wilder singled. A Hall single brought Kruse home and then Wilder scored on a balk.

Then six more shutout innings from Barnes and the Leps were victorious.

After the dog-pile, and the ice bucket dump, and Leps players posed for a team photo, where Wilder pulled up his shirt to reveal his prediction for the series. A big “W’ for win was shaved onto his stomach.

“You’re only a senior once,” Wilder said.