HS Baseball: Conroe Fends Off Attempted Comeback to Secure Home Win

CONROE, TX -- The Conroe Tigers had to fend off a last-minute comeback attempt from the visiting Grand Oaks Grizzlies to keep the 4-0 Tiger shutout intact.

Shuffling of locations, dates, and times during last week’s matchup forced the Tigers to hit the road for a Saturday game at Grand Oaks. Early play nearly won them the game, but a Grizzly push secured the win in the end, and the Tigers were not looking for a repeat.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Conroe Head Coach Jeff Raymer discussed the issues in the team’s Saturday loss and how they hoped to turn things around in the rematch.

“We walked away feeling like, had we played our type of game, we would have had a better result,” said Raymer. “We didn’t feel like we played our type of game. So at practice, the focus was really on reclaiming who we are as a team.”

Luckily, the Tigers let their ace pitcher handle business by keeping the Grizzly batters guessing at every turn.

Collan Bowley battled through an early threat from the Grizzlies in the top of the first to eventually keep the Grand Oaks bats dead silent during his tenure on the mound.

Only a handful of meaningful swings from Grand Oaks managed to produce base-hits, and what few did sneak past the lockdown Tiger fielders were snuffed out due to multiple double plays or timely fly-outs.

“A lot of credit goes to Bowley for having soft contact, but the defense had to make those plays,” said Raymer. “Our infield made a couple of really big double plays in situations that it they didn’t, the game probably spins out of control.”

With Conroe’s fielding and pitching keeping the Grizzlies from reaching home, the bats took over to build early distance on the scoreboard that proved to be the difference maker.

A lead-off walk in the bottom of the first from Jaden Keith immediately put a Tiger on the base path before a sacrifice RBI from Tanner Trantham brought in the game’s opening run.

Ed Rothlander joined in on the scoring by reaching first on a single before a steal and an RBI from Gavin Stanger put the pieces together to complete Rothlander’s journey around the bags.

Grand Oaks escaped the situation without further damage, but the instant 2-0 Conroe lead jeopardized the Grizzlies’ hopes of completing the sweep.

“Usually I would tell you the early lead was helpful, but last game, we had a four run lead in the first and we ended up losing,” explained Raymer. “So for us, that early lead was like, ‘It’s not over.’ The guys had to keep fighting.”

Conroe’s suffocating fielding made sure that the two-run cushion stayed secure on the scoreboard, while the bats tried to rekindle their first-inning might.

Grand Oaks’ issues in the first were under control through the next three innings, as the Tiger bats fell silent under a revived fielding performance from the Grizzlies. Frequent fly-outs to the Grizzly outfielders and a double play saw the Tigers strand two runners on base through the crucial stretch.

Fortunately for Conroe, a similar stretch of batters that brought in runs in the bottom of the first brought back their solid swings in the bottom of the fifth to add much-needed insurance runs.

Keith got on base via his second walk of the game before a deep shot from Jackson Reagan brought him in for the first Tiger run in nearly five innings. Back-to-back walks via hit batters loaded the bags in Conroe’s favor until Stanger sacrificed his at-bat to bring in Conroe’s fourth run.

The Grizzlies took the Stanger sacrifice and compounded it with a strikeout to escape the tough spot, but they needed run support to overcome the freshly built 4-0 Conroe lead.

With pressure mounting and the team running out of at-bats, Grand Oaks tried whatever they could to bring in runs. Pinch-hitters and courtesy runners worked in vain to break the psyche of Bowley on the mound, but the pressure never got to the Tiger pitcher.

“He’s a bulldog, and he knows his stuff, and he trusts his stuff,” said Raymer, praising his stud pitcher. “A lot of guys go out on the mound and they try to make their stuff better, but he knows that his stuff is good enough.”

The only significant spell that Conroe faced was at the top of the seventh with the Grizzlies trying to extend the game in the final frame.

Lengthy at-bats by the Grizzlies saw multiple foul balls keep batters alive in tough spots. Not helping the situation for Conroe was a lead-off double from Caleb Barth that put Grand Oaks in scoring position with Bowley’s pitch count approaching its limit and none out.

A walk drawn by the follow-up batter signalled the end of the night for Bowley, with the task of escaping the tense situation entrusted to Sam Buzbee.

Buzbee faced down increasingly desperate Grizzly batters that swung at any would-be strike to draw foul contact or to put something in play. An error in right field spelled disaster for the Tigers, as it allowed Grand Oaks to load the bases with the tying run at-bat with only one out.

Louder chants from the Grand Oaks dugout and fanbase added pressure to the situation, but Raymer believed that the onus of the situation still lay heavily on the Grizzlies.

“It was all about maintaining composure in that moment and not letting the circumstances overcome you,” said Raymer. “I made a mound visit at one point, and we talked about perceived pressure. The pressure was not on us. They want us to believe it’s on us, but it’s on them.”

Composure in the critical moment gave Buzbee the final bit of confidence he needed to finish the job. Despite the loaded bases and jeers raining down on him, back-to-back strikeouts from Buzbee silenced the doubters and secured a hard-fought 4-0 win for the Tigers.

“We’ve beaten some really good teams this year, and what happens is you start believing that you have to constantly beat all of the good teams,” said Raymer. “But as a coaching staff, we keep telling them we’re a good team too. The way you turn that belief into a winning streak is you just keep putting that same game out on the field.”

The next test for the Tigers will come in a home-away series against the Willis Wildkats, starting with a road game on the 4th. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies will aim for a bounce-back as they prepare for the Battle of the Oaks against Oak Ridge on Friday.