Mineral Wells Area News

Eagles get a leg up in race for district title

By DAVID MAY | Special to Mineral Wells Area News

Brock pitcher Evan O’Connor threw a complete-game one-hitter while fanning 16 Rams as the Top 10-ranked Eagles left Pratt Field Tuesday with a 6-0 win to slip into a first place tie in the District 6-4A race. 

Mineral Wells entered the night leading the district with an unblemished 6-0 mark, one game ahead of Brock (20-2), which had an earlier loss to Graham. Mineral Wells (15-8-1) will travel to Brock on Thursday hoping to split the series and regain the standings advantage with three district games remaining.

O’Connor walked just two hitters, throwing 109 pitches over seven innings with 74 of those strikes. He sat down the last 15 Rams hitters in order while facing 24 batters on the night.

Before taking the mound he helped himself in the top of the first inning, striking an RBI groundout to put Brock on top 1-0. The Eagles added a pair of runs in the second and fifth innings before tacking on one more in the seventh.

Offensively, the Rams hitters could not figure O’Connor out. Catcher Curry Crouch collected the team’s lone hit, which came in the second. None of the Rams’ three base runners advanced past first.

Hayes Hering drew the start on the mound for Mineral Wells. He went 1.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one. Crouch went 4.1 innings in relief, giving up five hits and two runs, walking three and fanning two. William Hollifield pitched the final inning, giving up a run on two hits with one strikeout.

Thursday’s game in Brock is set for a 7 p.m. first pitch.