Clear Creek Wildcats Baseball

LEAGUE CITY — As a junior, Brad Solliday played a total of four innings of varsity baseball.

His senior year turned out to be something more special, as he hit .414 with five homers and 36 RBIs to help lead the Clear Creek Wildcats to a share of the District 24-5A championship.

Solliday’s strong performance at the plate this season also earned him The Daily News’ Baseball Hitter of the Year honors.

The four Clear Creek grads playing minor league baseball continue to show promise.

Shawn Blackwell recorded the first win of his young career Monday, allowed two runs in 52/3 innings for the AZL Rangers. Blackwell, The Daily News’ co-player of the year in 2009, also had seven strikeouts for the Rookie Arizona League squad.

Blackwell is now 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA for the Rangers.

By Joshua Buckley
The Daily News

SUGAR LAND — For most of the season, the Clear Creek Wildcats have used their powerful offense to mount thrilling comebacks. In Game 1 of their bidistrict playoff series against Fort Bend Austin, that comeback never happened.

Using stellar defense, solid pitching and some clutch hitting, Austin pulled out a 3-1 victory over Creek, putting the Wildcats on the brink of elimination.

Game 2 is 8 p.m. today at Clear Creek High School.

Creek (19-10) managed just four hits off Austin starter Scott Duncan and hit into a pair of double plays. The Wildcats’ only run came on an RBI-groundout by Alex Benavides in the fifth inning.

“It’s the playoffs,” Creek coach Jim Mallory said.

“It’s a different beast than the regular season. I didn’t think we responded well tonight. There were no excuses. We just didn’t perform.”

As Mallory normally does in the postseason, he elected not to pitch his ace (Bobby McCormack) in Game 1 of the series. Instead, he went with junior Chris Morales.

Morales got into several jams, mostly caused by walks (four) or hitting batters (two).

However, he allowed just five hits and never more than one an inning, to keep any damage to a minimum.

Austin’s offense came on a solo homer by Taylor Cobb in the first, and then sacrifice flies by A.J. Glasshoff and Duncan in the third and fourth innings, respectively.

“I thought Chris threw well enough to win,” Mallory said.

“The margin of error in the playoffs is thin, though. We had mistakes at bad times. That’s what cost us.”

The middle of the Creek lineup featuring the powerful gauntlet of Reed Gordy, Brad Solliday and Morales went just 2-for-9 on the night.

Duncan also walked just two Wildcats.

Creek could be in a bit of trouble heading into today’s Game 2.

While the Wildcats will have McCormack on the hill, Austin (21-12-1) will throw ace A.J. Glasshoff against them.

The Bulldogs surprised many by not throwing their star pitcher in Game 1, but it turned out to be a good strategy.

“It’s do or die for us right now,” Mallory said. “We have our ace going, but the advantage is still with (Austin) right now.

“We’ve been here before and survived, so I’m still confident that we can win the next two games.”

Game 3, if necessary, would be 4 p.m. Saturday at Alvin High School.

By Evan Mohl
The Daily News

ALVIN — The Clear Creek offense met its match.

Off-speed pitches.

The Wildcats could hit super ace A.J. Glasshof but struggled against Fort Bend Austin’s two junk-ball pitchers, who threw an array of off-speed pitches for strikes. It proved to be the difference in the best-of-three series.

Matthew Prickett held Creek scoreless for four innings, and the Bulldogs took Game 3 from the Wildcats, 8-4, on Saturday to win the first-round playoff series, 2-1.

“We really didn’t give ourselves a chance offensively,” Creek coach Jim Mallory said. “You can’t get shut out until the fifth inning.”

Creek was coming off a Game 2 win where it bashed Glasshof, considered the best Austin pitcher. The Wildcats run-ruled the Bulldogs.

But like Game 1, when the Wildcats scored a single run, they struggled against a pitcher who relied heavily on change-ups and curveballs.

Prickett did not strike anyone out but kept the Creek offense off-balance enough to scatter four hits.

“He was like our secret weapon,” Austin coach Randy Ursery said. “We knew Creek crushed fastballs.”

It didn’t help the Wildcats that a blown call changed the complexion of the game.

Creek finally got the bats going in the fifth inning to chase Prickett. Alex Fisher and Jake McNeill [correction:  Chad Valcoviak] singled, and Zack Gibson doubled them both home.

With one out, Reedy Gordy smacked what clearly was a two-run homer. The ball bounced off the foul pole.

Umpires ruled the ball foul, despite a long huddle over the call and a discussion with Mallory. The correct call would have pulled Creek within a run.

Ursery thought the ball was gone on the crack of the bat. He walked halfway to the pitching mound before umpires called the play back.

“I didn’t see the end of the play, but I was pretty sure when it left the bat it was a homer,” Ursery said.

Gordy ended up grounding out. Brad Solliday did drive in Gibson with a double, but the damage was done.

“No doubt, in my mind, that changed the game,” Mallory said.

Creek pitchers didn’t make it easy on its offense. Mallory needed to use four pitchers in the first three-plus innings. The trio of Cole Waidhofer, McNeill and Gordy struggled with control.

Chad Valcoviak extinguished the bases loaded fire with one out in the fourth. He got major help from C.J. McElroy who gunned down Anthony DeJesus at home. Solliday blocked the plate to perfection and took a big hit.

Valcoviak cruised until the seventh inning when he gave up three runs.

“He pitched well,” Mallory said.

Chris Morales added an RBI in the seventh, but it was too little too late as Creek’s season ended abruptly.

“I feel for those guys,” Ursery said. “That’s one heck of a team.”

By Evan Mohl
The Daily News

LEAGUE CITY — When the Wildcats didn’t see Fort Bend Austin ace A.J. Glasshof on the mound in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Thursday, they were admittedly thrown off.

They had prepared to face the southpaw all week and were surprised he did not start, Creek, one of the best offenses in the region, managed just one run.

But when Glasshof took the mound in Game 2 on Friday, the Wildcats offense pounced on him.

Every single Creek hitter reached base and eight more scored runs as the offense bounced back for a 13-3 clobbering of Austin in Game 2 to stave off elimination and even the best-of-three series at 1-1.

Creek and Austin will face off today in Alvin at 4 p.m. in a do-or-die Game 3.

“We were kind of taken a back when we didn’t see him out there in the first game,” Chris Morales, who went 3-for-3 said. “But we were ready tonight and knew what to expect.”

The Wildcats actually started the evening in a hole. Senior ace Bobby McCormack allowed three runs in the first inning on three hits and a pair of walks.

But the southpaw, much like his teammates, regained his form. He struck out the next four batters and six of the next 10 after the disastrous first.

“I think I always get better as the game goes on,” McCormack said.

Then the Creek offense ignited. It took advantage of three Austin defensive miscues for a five-run third inning, which turned the tide of the game.

C.J. McElroy and Zack Gibson both reached on errors. Brad Solliday and Chris Morales followed with back-to-back RBI singles.

Glashof managed to get two outs on strikeouts, but Dyllan McGregor blooped a seeing-eye double that scored two, including the tying and go-ahead run.

A perfectly executed double steal led to the final run of the inning.

“That’s baseball,” Creek coach Jim Mallory said. “One day you’re on; one day you’re not.”

McCormack continued to roll, too. He didn’t allow a single hit after the first as no Austin runner moved past second base for the rest of the game.

The Bulldogs struggled to catch up with McCormack’s fastball, which he located effectively. McCormack then went to his changeup — his third pitch — to keep Austin hitters off balance.

McCormack normally relies heavily on his curveball, which he struggled with in the first inning.

The Creek defense also came up big with two 6-4-3 double plays.

“The changeup really paid off tonight because my curveball wasn’t at its best,” McCormack said. “It kept those guys just off enough for my fastball to work.”

The Wildcats finally chased Glashoff in the fifth. Morales singled, while Brandon Martin and Brandon Speth both walked to load the bases. McElroy drew a walk for an RBI, and Gibson poked a two-run single. McElroy scored his second run of the game on another double steal.

Creek scored finished off the game with four in the sixth thanks to an error and another pass ball. Martin hit a two-RBI single.

By Joshua Buckley
The Daily News

LEAGUE CITY — Late-game heroics seem to have become common occurrences for the Clear Creek Wildcats this baseball season.

Against Clear Lake on Tuesday, Chris Morales hit a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Creek an 8-7 victory.

It was Creek’s third come-from-behind win in district play and kept the Wildcats in second place with seven games to go in the regular season.

“We always feel we are in a game, even if we are down late,” Morales said. “We keep talking to each other in the dugout and stay positive, no matter what. I think that’s helped us make these comeback.”

Creek (13-8, 6-1 district) doesn’t have a dominant pitcher this season unlike the past four years or so. As a result, the Wildcats have needed their offense to carry them.

It’s worked thus far. Among players who have made at least 40 plate appearances, Creek has six players hitting at least .300 — Morales (.514), Brad Solliday (.406), Reed Gordy (.359), Alex Fisher (.357), C.J. McElroy (.349) and Brandon Speth (.326). Solliday also is among the Houston area leaders with 29 RBIs, while Gordy has driven in 24.

“We’ve had some guys that have really stepped up at the plate,” Creek coach Jim Mallory said. “We’ve got guys that hit for power and guys with a lot of speed. It’s a good mix.”

The Wildcats are averaging 6.3 runs a game in district play and have scored fewer than seven runs just once (a 9-2 loss to Brazoswood).

They’ve needed every one of those runs lately though, with the bullpen struggling to hold onto leads. Creek ended the seventh inning up by four runs against Lake before giving up six to the Falcons.

Pitching also contributed to early deficits against Ball and Springs before the offense bailed them out.

Gordy admitted it is a bit frustrating to be behind in a lot of games, but it’s also helped with team unity.

“The way we look at it, we never should have to come from behind,” Gordy said. “But you know, those comebacks have been a morale booster. Knowing our offense, when we are down a few runs and no going up against a dominant pitcher, we feel pretty confident we are going to get it done.”

Creek could face a harder time scoring runs in the second half of district.

They have to face a trio of aces from Alvin, Ball and Springs that the Wildcats missed the first time through district.

They also will probably get to face Brazos-wood’s Tyler Green once more.

Gordy said the team will be prepared to face the flame-throwers in the coming weeks and doesn’t anticipate it will hurt Creek’s offensive production.

“Just sit on the fastball,” Gordy said.

“That’s the easiest pitch to hit. Our guys have the bat speed to catch up to those guys throwing hard. We won’t be blown away.”

Mallory said he hopes continued offensive production will allow the Creek pitching to round into form late in the season.

“Everything starts right there on the mound,” Mallory said.

“We’ve had a few injuries, but hopefully we are getting healthy for the stretch run.”

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LEAGUE CITY — When Jim Mallory, Clear Creek High School’s head baseball coach, answered the phone Thursday night, all he wanted to do was talk about his junior pitcher who won his first varsity game.

It was classic Mallory, deflecting any attention from himself and crediting his players.

Mallory earned his 600th career win as Clear Creek defeated Jersey Village, 7-3, at the Deer Park Tournament.

“Well, I’m not much on keeping count and all that,” Mallory said. “I guess they call it a milestone.”

By Joshua Buckley
The Daily News