McCallum keeps cool, wins baseball playoff opener against Pflugerville

With temperatures rising in McCallum’s dugout on a sultry spring night, the Knights’ ability to stay cool under pressure helped them win the first game of a best-of-three Class 5A first-round playoff series against Pflugerville on Friday at Northwest Pony Field.

Shortly after the visiting Panthers tied the game 2-2 in the top of the third inning on a controversial call that left McCallum coach Brandon Grant steaming, the Knights responded with three quick runs to seize control and cruised to a 10-3 win.

The series was set to resume Saturday afternoon in Pflugerville, where the District 18-5A third-place Panthers aimed to avoid a second straight bi-district elimination by District 17-5A runner-up McCallum.

“That’s a great job of the kids refocusing right there, and all the credit goes to my kids,” Grant said. “They can handle their coach coming out fighting for them in one of two ways: They can start complaining because their coach didn’t get his way, or they can say, ‘Let him handle it, and let’s go back to work.’ And that’s exactly what they did.”

And just what happened to raise Grant’s ire, exactly?

With Pflugerville trailing 2-1 in the top of the third, the Panthers’ Jacob Palmer scored on a sacrifice fly by Chase Tijerina, even though it looked as if McCallum catcher Pablo Lopez took the throw from right fielder Nico Sanchez and applied the tag to Palmer before he crossed home plate.

The umpire saw it differently and immediately called Palmer safe, much to the amazement of Grant and the home crowd, many of whom are still scarred by a controversial call at the plate in a season-ending playoff loss to Medina Valley in 2018. Grant charged out of the dugout and grit his teeth while listening to the umpire’s explanation before barking out a few choice words while stomping back to his spot.

With their coach still stewing, McCallum’s batters went to work. Lopez, the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the inning, immediately hammered a double to the wall. First baseman Andy Honea followed with a single, Sanchez laid down an RBI sacrifice bunt, and J.J. Valle Soliz blasted an RBI single. After Jacob Ramirez drove Valle Soliz home with a two-out single up the middle, the Knights had a 5-2 lead and never looked back.

“I was super proud of them, especially Pablo leading off with a double when he was involved with that play,” Grant said. “That was big-time. That’s what we tell them; in the 5A playoffs, there’s going to be big-time moments and big-time opportunities, and that was a big-time moment for him.”

Lopez invoked a tried-and-true basketball axiom when describing the sequences of plays that gave McCallum control of the game.

“In my kind, it was, like, ball doesn’t lie,” he said. “I went out and got that double for us, and I felt like that was a big momentum shift for us. It was pretty sweet, honestly.”

But, Pablo, did you really tag Palmer before he crossed home plate?

“I tapped him,” Lopez said. “It was a small, little touch, but I know I got him. When you throw the glove out there, you can feel it. It was close, but I definitely got him.”

Both teams immediately turned their attention to Saturday’s action, which will be a doubleheader if Pflugerville wins game two. And both teams hope they learned lessons from last season, when the Knights dropped the first game but rode ace Fabian Castillo to a win in game two before winning game three.

This year, McCallum doesn’t have a true workhorse like Castillo. Sophomore Nathan Nagy earned the win on the mound for McCallum in his first playoff start Friday, and the Knights will lean on Sam Stevens in the second game. Pflugerville is likely to roll out its top pitcher, Palmer, while trying to avoid elimination.

“We told our kids Pflugerville is approaching us right now the same way that we approached them last year,” Grant said. “They’re saving their No. 1 (Palmer) for Saturday, and our kid (Stevens) was our No. 1 entering the season before he broke his hand. He’ll give us a great outing.”

Lopez said the Knights might not have a dominant pitcher like the graduated Castillo, but “with our pitching staff, we’re confident in everyone we have. Last year, it was a little spotty after (Castillo). This year, I think we can get it done with who we have.”

Pflugerville coach Dale Waggoner said his team could get it done Saturday, even though his young bunch includes just three seniors who regularly start and a bevy of underclassmen. The Panthers have reached three consecutive postseasons and probably would have qualified in 2020 before the pandemic canceled the rest of the season.

“We have a lot of new faces,” Waggoner said. “We’re young, but at this time of year, we tell them that it doesn’t matter what grade you’re in. You have to grow up quick and be ready to play.”

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: McCallum wins game one of baseball playoff series against Pflugerville