Myers Park seals Southwestern 4A title with 7-1 win over Butler
Myers Park is playing hungry baseball.
The Mustangs continued their stellar May with a 7-1 win against Butler in the Southwestern 4A championship game at Myers Park Friday. The victory was Myers Park’s sixth in seven games and its first league title in six years.
“It’s been a long, long time since we won the regular season and the conference tournament,” Mustangs coach Wes Hepler said. “To do it on your own home park is special.”
Winning pitcher Jackson Dean, a senior who limited Butler to five hits over 6 2/3 innings, was consumed by anticipation during the school day. He responded in the Mustangs’ biggest game of the season.
“My day’s been good,” said Dean, who smacked a two-run single to center field in the first inning to put Myers Park (14-8) in front. “There wasn’t a whole lot of focus in school, to be honest with you. I was really focused on the game, and every five minutes I was getting texts from the guys about tonight.”
Myers Park converted offensive opportunities against Butler (15-5-1) starter Sean Sessoms. Three Mustangs had at least two hits with third baseman and tournament MVP Bo Owens going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. Catcher David Hutto went 2-for-3 with a couple of RBIs and Alex Alvarez was 3-of-4 with a run-scoring single.
“I thought we did a really good job on the bases,” Hepler said. “We stole a couple of bags, took some extra bases. We got a lot of big hits and that’s what it takes to win playoff baseball.”
Said Dean: “When you play for your team, good things happen. Obviously, it’s exciting and a good feeling to hit the ball well and drive in runs for your team, but at the end of the day I’d be just as satisfied with anybody else hitting a run in other than myself.”
Quote
“We get guys into scoring position and somebody’s got to go and get that big hit. We had a lot of guys come through tonight. – Myers Park coach Wes Hepler
Worth mentioning
The win was Myers Park’s second in three games against Butler. The teams split during the regular season, with each winning on the road by a run.
What’s next
N.C. 4A playoffs. Myers Park is the Southwestern’s top seed. Butler is a second seed.
This story was originally published May 9, 2015 at 12:14 AM with the headline "Myers Park seals Southwestern 4A title with 7-1 win over Butler."