Plano, TX - The playoffs bring another level of intensity, emotion and competitiveness especially in TAPPS Division I. The Vikings, seeded third, went on the road Thursday night and upset JPII 7-5 to win the area championship. Led by a gusty pitching performance by senior Nate Hall the Vikings advance to the regional championship.
“Nate is a senior and is playing his last games as a Viking, he simply did not want to lose tonight. Seniors have to be seniors in these games and he performed when we needed him the most,” head coach Joe Weik said.
The game hung in the balance in the bottom of the sixth. JPII had runners on second and third with two outs, trailing by two. Hall closed the door with a strikeout to get the Vikings out of the jam.
Junior Santiago Perez earned the save, pitching a scoreless seventh inning.
The Vikings were led offensively by senior Ben Sanchez who knocked in three runs. Hall also helped himself at the plate hitting a solo home run.
With the win, the Vikings will await the completion of the Liberty Christian & Parish Episcopal series to find out their next opponent.
“We will be ready to go. We will get back to practice this week and continue to work on the fundamentals of the game in preparation,” Weik concluded.
Stay tuned for updated game time and location released next week.