The Arkansas Travelers broke a 4-4 tie last night in the last of the ninth inning to defeat the Rockhounds 5-4. By winning, the Travelers captured the 2024 Texas League Championship at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. Bob Hards with Rockhounds Baseball provided Midland Times with a breakdown of the game.
Cole Young led off the ninth with a double down the left field line and Alberto Rodriguez sent an RBI single to center field for the walk-off, title-winning RBI.
The Travelers took a 3-0 lead in the third inning and took a 4-1 lead into the top of the eighth before the Rockhounds manufactured a game-tying rally.
Brennan Millone led off with a walk and Will Simpson singled with one out. An error by third baseman Ben Williamson allowed a run to score. Jordan Groshans followed with an RBI pitch-hit single and Junior Perez tied the game, drawing a bases-loaded walk.
Groshans had a tremendous postseason, going 9 for 20 (.450) with four runs batted in.
The Rockhounds got on the board in the fifth. Perez drew a two out walk. Denzel Clarke singled to center field, and Millone lined an RBI single to center.
Pivotal Moment
Arkansas scored three runs in the third inning after loading the bases with no outs. The Rockhounds then came within one pitch of escaping what was a critical rally. With the bases full, "Hounds" starter Jack Perkins struck out Cole Young (swinging) and Jared Oliva (looking), then got ahead of Ben Williamson with a 1-2 count. Williamson sent the 1-2 pitch into left field for a two-run single and Alberto Rodriguez followed with a single, driving in the third run.
The Travelers appeared in the title series for the second consecutive season (Arkansas fell to Amarillo, 2-2, in the 2023 championship).
Ben Williamson went 3 for 5 with three runs batted in Wednesday and Alberto Rodriguez had a pair of RBI singles, including the game winner. Arkansas starter Logan Evans didn't figure in the decision, but was outstanding. The Seattle Mariners number-8 prospect allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over six innings.
A Little Arithmetic
The 2024 Texas League season opened on April 5 and ended with the final game of the title series on September 25. The Rockhounds played 144 regular season and playoff games, ending with a record of 87-57. The final run, which decided the league championship, came in the club's 1,276th inning of the season.
Even without the Title, A Remarkable Season
The Rockhounds had the most regular season wins (84) and best winning percentage (.609) in the franchise's 53-year history. They were the first team in franchise history to win 40 or more games in each half of the season, and they won the South Division second half pennant.