by Justin Thomas
A testament to its remarkable consistency, Southlake Carroll's baseball team advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years last weekend.
The Dragons— champions of District 5-6A and ranked No. 1 in the state according to the latest Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association poll — are one of three 5-6A squads to advance to the regional quarterfinals alongside Flower Mound Marcus and Trophy Club Byron Nelson.
It is second year in a row the district (widely regarded as the best in the state) has put three teams through to the third round.
The Dragons punched their ticket Friday by defeating Irving MacArthur in a one-game series, 4-0.
While both teams recorded five hits, Carroll took advantage of their chances with runners in scoring position, as well as two MacArthur errors, to secure the win.
Nicco Cole went the distance on the mound to earn the win, scattering five singles while racking up 11 strikeouts.
Cole was dominant from the jump, striking out the side in the bottom of the first inning.
The biggest jam he ran into came in the second when MacArthur received two singles to put runners at first and second with one out, but Cole notched a strikeout and evaded damage on the scoreboard with an inning-ending grounder to third baseman Jake Miller.
MacArthur would not get another runner in scoring position until a single and stolen base with two outs in the seventh, but again Cole was able to navigate the jam by notching his 11th strikeout to seal the win.
The Dragons, meanwhile, took little time to get on the board, posting a pair of runs in the top of the first inning before tacking on another in the second.
Cade Bell singled to open the game and after a stolen base and advancing on a grounder, came in to score after a Cole Johnson double. Johnson scored soon thereafter on a sequence that included a caught stealing and dropped third strike.
In the second, Matt Werner doubled with one out and Jaxon Osterberg scored on a single by Miller.
The Dragons achieved the final margin in the top of the fifth inning when Miller drew a walk, Adam Stephenson was hit by a pitch and Johnson reached on an error scoring the run.
With the win, Carroll advances to the third round where it faces aforementioned Byron Nelson.
Game 1 will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday at Byron Nelson with Game 2 slated for the same time Friday at Carroll and Game 3 (if necessary) taking place at 5 p.m. Saturday at Prosper.
The Bobcats finished fourth in 5-6A and needed three games to get by Allen in the bi-district round and South Grand Prairie in the area round.
If district action is any indication, a low-scoring series could be in the cards as Carroll swept the 5-6A regular season home-and-home series with Byron Nelson, 3-1 and 1-0.
Southlake Carroll 4, Irving MacArthur 0
SLC 2 1 0 0br1 0 0 — 4 5 0
IM 0 0 0 0br0 0 0 — 0 5 2
WP — Nicco Cole. LP — Felipe Garcia. 2B — SLC: Cade Bell, Cole Johnson, Matt Werner.