Courtesy Photo/Double K Photography-Kylie Kornegay
Mabank Panther freshman Maddex McCrossen singles on a hard line drive to center field against Canton during March 12’s district home opener for the Panthers.

Monitor Photo/Kaylee Tracy
Mabank sophomore Matthew Ratley, who scored the only run of Mabank’s March 12 win versus the Canton Eagles, swings away against the Eagles.

Courtesy Photo/Double K Photography-Kylie Kornegay
Mabank Panther senior Hagen Tijerina pitches a complete-game shutout March 12 against the Canton Eagles, striking out eight Eagle batters in Mabank’s 1-0 win.

By Sean McCrossen, 
Mabank assistant baseball coach
Special to the Monitor

MABANK–The Mabank Panther baseball team has won eight consecutive games and is 2-0 in District 14-4 play, entering their set of district games March 19 and 22 against Wills Point and Kaufman, respectively.
After beating Quinlan Ford 12-7 on the road March 5 in Mabank’s district opener, the Panthers brought home a huge 1-0 win against Canton March 12 in their district home opener. Mabank then defeated Athens, 14-1, March 15 in non-district action.
Against Canton, the Panthers were led by senior Hagen Tijerina on the mound. Tijerina pitched a complete-game shutout to help lead his Panthers to victory. The southpaw threw seven innings, allowing just three hits, two walks and zero runs while striking out eight. 
In the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers appeared to have things rolling as freshman Maddex McCrossen barreled a full-count fastball to center field. The inning was upended by a next-pitch double play that seemed to stop the Panthers’ momentum.
Tijerina came back out in the top of the sixth and shut down the Eagles, bringing the Mabank crowd to their feet. In the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Matthew Ratley drew a walk on a full count. Senior Kyler Howeth stepped to the plate and laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving Ratley to second base and into scoring position. Ratley then advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Canton’s Nathan Parker.
On the very next pitch, Parker buried a ball in the dirt that snuck past the Canton catcher, allowing Ratley to score the game’s only run. Canton would add some pressure in the top of the seventh by getting a runner to third base with two outs. Tijerina induced an infield pop-up by Canton’s Brody Lewis to secure the final out, and the victory for the Panthers.