Great Baseball Season Ends in Waco
Corpus Christi John Paul II’s Nathan Humpal allowed seven hits as the Centurions downed Liberty Christian 6-3 in the TAPPS 4A state semifinals on Thursday at the Waco ISD Sports Complex.
The Warriors (29-8-1) struck first, plating a run in the second as Chad Nack and Justin Stephens opened the frame with back-to-back singles. Nack, who advanced to third on Stephens’ hit, scored when Nick Powers grounded into a double play.
“We knew it would be a hard fight,” Isom said. “I was just happy scoring the one run. I thought the way Chad throws he would keep us in the game.”
Liberty Christian extended its lead to 2-0 in the third. With two out, Denton Martin singled to right, stole second, and came around to score on Jonathan Smith’s single.
John Paul II (34-8) went ahead with three runs in the fourth.
The Centurions iced the game with a trio of runs in the sixth.
The Warriors cut the margin to 6-3 in the sixth as Nack belted an RBI double. But the Centurions closed the door on Liberty Christian’s bid for a state title repeat with a game-ending double play.
“With a one-game series, it’s just about who’s the better team,” Isom said.“They [John Paul II] were the better team today, but we didn’t give it away. We made them earn it.”
Corpus Christi John Paul II 6, Liberty Christian 3
| John Paul II | 000 | 303 | 0 | — | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| Liberty Christian | 011 | 001 | 0 | — | 3 | 7 | 1 |
Thank you to the Denton Record-Chronicle for the story information.