Warriors finish regular season on a high note, dismantle Flames 13-3
Published 11:16 am Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Warriors left fielder M. Murray makes the play on a pop fly while avoiding a collision with a teammate.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent A Warriors player slides into second base ahead of the throw in the first inning.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Grady Goulds rips a line drive to center. He went 2-for-4 on the night.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Warriors shortstop comes up firing on a slow roller in the infield.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Warriors pitcher Cade Kendall shows the leg kick on a pitch. He threw five innings and gave up just two earned runs in the win.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Lane Parker frames and then freezes as he awaits the umpire’s call as the fifth inning gets underway.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Coach Nat Treadway gathers the team together before they take the field in the sixth inning.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Drew Blevins looks to pick up another base hit in the bottom of the fourth. He went 2-for-3 in the game with two RBIs.
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By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
Warriors head coach Nat Treadway knows tourney play is on the horizon. Monday night offered his team one more game to compete and to get in reps and tweak any performance issues before the tournament kicks off Wednesday. The Warriors did exactly what they had to, pushing past the FCA Flames with a five-run fifth inning.
After trailing 1-0 after a questionable balk call in the first inning, the Warriors responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Lane Parker got on base with a walk, Drew Blevins was then hit by a pitch; Grady Goulds came up big by bouncing a double off the fence to plate two runs and give the Warriors a 2-1 lead. Carlos Lopez picked up an RBI off a Flames error at first, scoring Goulds. The Warriors could have had much more but left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first.
The Flames picked up another run off a called balk, cutting the Warriors’ lead to 3-2 and causing coach Treadway to come out to the field looking for some explanation. The somewhat curious call didn’t deter the Warriors, as they picked up a couple more runs in the second. Once again, Goulds got a base hit — this time to the opposite field — scoring Parker and Blevins, who had earlier reached by a HBP and a single off a hard ground ball to third, pushing the Warriors’ lead out to 5-3.
The second balk call seemed to light a fire under Warriors pitcher Cade Kendall, as he got into a rhythm and held the Flames to just one run off one base hit in the middle innings. The Warriors, meanwhile, looked to distance themselves, picking up three runs in the fifth and another five in the sixth.
A highlight of the game for the Warriors came in the bottom of the fifth, as Matthew Murray caught the Flames nodding and stole home, pushing the Warriors’ lead out to 8-3. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, base hits by Murray and Kendall and a Blevins double to the gap in left-center moved the Warriors’ lead to double digits, ending the game by the mercy rule.
Coach Nat Treadway was pleased with the win but understands that his team has to be ready to contend Wednesday night as they travel to take on Johnson County in the opening round of the 1-3A tournament.
“I’m looking for my guys to come out with an edge about themselves and want to compete,” Treadway said.
The Warriors split with the Longhorns during the regular season, each team winning its home game.
Murray finished the night going 3-for-4 with a double, while Goulds, Kendall and Blevins each had two base hits. Kendall was solid on the mound, going five innings and surrendering just two earned runs off six hits and picking up five strikeouts. In relief, Johnson threw the final inning with no hits and two Ks.
Wednesday night’s game is scheduled to be played at West Greene High School, with a first pitch time of 4:30 p.m.
