FRISCO, Texas (March 3, 2024) – Day three of the 2024 Frisco Classic saw the Arizona Wildcats earn a dominant 12-1 win over the Indiana Hoosiers followed by the championship bout where Dallas Baptist bested Alabama 7-5 in 12 innings from Riders Field.
The Hoosiers (7-4) produced the first run of the contest in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI single from Morgan Colopy, but Arizona (5-6) quickly tied the game on an Andrew Cain RBI double in the third.
The Wildcats then sent 14 hitters to the plate in the fourth, scoring 10 runs, eight of them with two outs. Easton Breyfogle highlighted the inning with a bases clearing RBI double.
Indiana starting pitcher Ethan Phillips exited in the third inning, finishing his outing with four strikeouts and allowing one run across 2.1 innings.
Arizona starter Cam Walty (3-0) stole the show tossing 6.0 innings, allowing just one run on five hits while fanning three.
Tyler Cerny tallied two of the five hits for the Hoosiers offense and scored the lone Indiana run.
The Wildcats offense was driven by Easton Breyfogle who posted a 2-for-3 day with three RBIs. Mason White continued his hot streak, showing himself as one of the best players of the weekend, finishing the tournament with a .545 average (6-for-11).
The final game of the weekend featured the two teams with a chance to win the 2024 Frisco Classic as the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) took on the Dallas Baptist Patriots (10-1).
Dallas Baptist used a double steal to snag the first run of the contest in the top of the second inning. Alabama responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame courtesy of a solo homer by Evan Sleight and a TJ McCants two-run single.
An Alex Pendergast home run cut the Crimson Tide lead to one in the third, but Alabama’s Justin Lebron deposited a ball over the left centerfield wall to extend Alabama’s lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the inning.
Trailing by three in the fifth, DBU’s Grant Jay unloaded on a fastball that resulted in a 459-foot solo homer. An inning later, the Crimson Tide failed to score after loading the bases with no outs. DBU’s Chayton Krauss made Alabama pay for a dropped fly ball a batter prior with a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the sixth.
The Patriots loaded the bases with one out in the visiting half of the eighth which brought Alabama skipper Rob Vaughn to bring on Matthew Heiberger. Heiberger proceeded to strike out the two batters he faced to end the DBU threat. The Alabama left-hander went on to strike out all five of the batters he faced.
Bullpen arms dominated the late innings as the game rolled into the 12th frame. Jay mashed a go-ahead, 468-foot homer in the top of the inning, his second home run of the day. Krauss added an insurance run with his third hit in the contest, an RBI single.
Nick Wilson shut the door on the Crimson Tide with a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the 12th, earning the save and clinching the 2024 Frisco Classic title for Dallas Baptist.
Final Standings:
Dallas Baptist: 2-1
Alabama: 2-1
Arizona: 1-2
Indiana: 1-2
*tie breaker based on head-to-head record
All-Tournament Team:
OF: Ethan Mann, DBU
OF: TJ McCants, Alabama
OF: Evan Sleight, Alabama
IF: Mason White, Arizona
IF: Bryce Eblin, Alabama
IF: Will Hodo, Alabama
IF: Chayton Krauss, DBU
C: Brock Tibbitts, Indiana
DH: Mason Swinney, Alabama
SP: Ben Hess, Alabama
RP: Matthew Heiberger, Alabama
MVP: Evan Sleight, Alabama