Carroll's Cole Blows Fire, Send Dragons to 6A Final

ROUND ROCK, Texas- In a ballgame centered around starting pitching, Southlake Carroll’s Nicco Cole (Howard JC) went above and beyond.

Cole managed to pitch all seven innings, recording 10 strikeouts with his only allowed run crossing the plate unearned. The soon-to-be Hawk issued only one walk through 96 pitches. Working from his usual ¾ arm-slot, Cole stymied the Highlanders lineup with a mid-80’s fastball that flashed solid arm-side run. His 10/4 slider, ranging from 74-77 mph, was his go-to strikeout pitch.

The Woodlands’ Steven Beard (Sam Houston State) was also stellar on the bump, permitting only three runs (two earned) over the course of six strong innings. Beard’s fastball (82-84 mph) played well off of his 71-73 mph changeup.

For both teams, the 6th inning became the tipping point in a tensely fought semi-final bout.

First baseman Nik Millsap (Northwestern State) initiated the action with a one-out single, followed by another base knock off the bat of left fielder Will Quillen (Grayson JC). In a 1-1 game, sophomore Jorge Figueroa (Miami) stepped into the box with a chance to turn tide. His two-RBI double deep into the left-center field gap proved to be a tidal wave too much for the Highlanders to swim over.

The Dragons are set to face Reagan High School in today’s 6A state championship game.

STATS

Southlake Carroll
Cole: (W) 7 IP, 96 TP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 H, 10 K, 1 BB
Figueroa: 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI
Quillen: 2-3, R
Stephenson, 1-2
Millsap: 1-3
Werner, 1-2
Bell: 1-2, 2B, R

The Woodlands
Beard: (L) 6 IP, 84 TP, 3 R (2 ER), 7 H, 2 K, 1 BB
Sunseri: 1-2
Caley: 1-3
Solberg: 1-3