All the way to State
Cypress Ranch advances to State behind power performance by Thompson
Joshua Koch
Jun 6, 2018, 8:16 pm
The Mustangs will face Carroll in the state semi-final game Vype
OUSTON - RBI hits from Colton Cowser and Westley Shields backed the one hit, 13 strikeout performance of Matt Thompson as Cy Ranch punched their ticket to Austin with a 7-0 win over Cy Fair on Saturday night.
The pivotal game three victory came one night after Cy Fair forced the deciding game with a 5-3 win moving the Mustangs one step closer to a 2018 Class 6A Texas high school baseball title.
Through two innings, Cy Fair starter Rhett McCaffety matched Thompson pitch for pitch before the wheels began to fall off in the third. With one out and one on, McCaffety issued the second of his four walks in the inning setting the stage for Cowser.
The Sam Houston BearKat commit hit a 2-2 offering from McCaffety to the base of the right field wall scoring Shields and Scotty Scott. Cowser would later score on a wild pitch and Cy Ranch led 3-0 after three.
“They beat me with two fastballs and then he dropped the foul pop and I knew I had a second chance,” said Cowser following the game. “I got to 2-2 and I knew he was going to throw me a fastball and I just sat on it and the rest is history.”
Cowser finished the night 1 for three with two RBI’s and a run scored and the series with a .444 average and 5 RBI’s.
Cy Ranch was far from done though as they chased McCaffety in the fourth plating another run on an RBI hit by Shields.
Meanwhile Thompson had Cy Fair swinging and missing more times than they cared to count. The junior right-hander recorded nine of his 13 punches on a swinging third strike. The Texas A&M commit reached his pitch limit with two outs in the seventh and was replaced by reliever Kyle Gough who struck out Tyler Ashy to end the game.
“It starts on the mound,” said second year head coach Corey Cephus. “Thompson was dominant tonight. He had pinpoint accuracy all night.”
The Mustangs put the finishing touches on their 32nd win of the season with a three run sixth. This time it was Fabian Mayfield and Shields doing the damage. Mayfield doubled home Cy Ranch’s fifth run of the night before Shields rifled a 0-1 pitch into rightfield scoring Mayfield and Brandon Griffin.
The win marked the eighth time in 11 postseason games that Cy Ranch had scored at least seven runs and the victory gave them their third shutout of the playoffs.
Cy Ranch (32-8-2) moves to within two games of claiming its third Class 6A baseball title since winning it all in 2012 and 2015. The Mustangs will face Carroll (33-6) in the state semi-final game on Thursday.
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The Houston Astros (37-30) aim to close out their series against the Chicago White Sox (23-45) on a high note Thursday night at Daikin Park. The three-game set is currently tied 1-1, and with a chance to secure their 11th series win at home, the Astros will send left-hander Framber Valdez to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
Valdez (6-4, 3.07 ERA) has quietly been one of the most consistent arms in the American League. Known for his heavy sinker and ground-ball inducing style, he enters the night with a stellar 1.06 WHIP and 84 strikeouts. With the Astros bullpen having absorbed some heavy usage earlier this week, Valdez will be counted on to give Houston quality length.
Opposing him will be right-hander Davis Martin (2-6, 3.62 ERA), who has pitched better than his win-loss record suggests. Martin has maintained a 1.21 WHIP and will try to quiet an Astros lineup that broke out for 10 runs in Wednesday’s win.
Houston’s offense has been led lately by Jeremy Peña, who is batting .439 over his last 10 games with five doubles, two homers, and six RBIs. Isaac Paredes continues to be a steady power threat, leading the team with 14 home runs and a .468 slugging percentage. José Altuve, fresh off his 2,300th career hit, adds veteran stability to the top of the order.
The Astros are 23-13 at home this season and have gone 6-4 over their last 10 games. When they avoid giving up home runs, they win — as shown by their 20-4 record in games where they keep the ball in the yard. That will be a key Thursday against a White Sox team that’s light on power but capable of grinding out runs when they out-hit opponents (16-9 when doing so).
Chicago, meanwhile, has struggled mightily on the road, going just 7-27 away from Guaranteed Rate Field. Still, they’ve had unexpected success against the Astros this season, winning three of the first five matchups. Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman have been among the few bright spots in a lineup that’s hit just .227 over its last 10 games and been outscored by six runs.
With the series on the line and the division-leading Astros looking to stay hot, Thursday night offers a chance to assert their edge with a trusted ace on the hill and momentum building in the lineup.
Here's a preview of the Astros lineup for the finale!
For the series.
⚾️: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
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— Houston Astros (@astros) June 12, 2025
Christian Walker remains in the five spot after his big night in Game 2. Victor Caratini will be the DH hitting seventh behind Jake Meyers. Jose Altuve is shifting back to left field, with Jacob Melton getting the night off. And Brendan Rodgers will hit last and play second base.
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