Tompkins blasts three homers in final game to send Eagles to regional semifinals
By Robert Morgan | Published Thursday, May 28, 2009
Decatur pitcher Justin Tompkins has played like a man amongst boys while on the mound this season. The senior righty has pitched several gems to help keep the season alive in playoff wins over Burnet and Glen Rose.
However, it was Tompkins' knack with a bat that made sure the Tigers' successful season came to a crashing halt Saturday. He went five for five at the plate and his last three hits were home runs which allowed the Eagles to run away with an 11-1 rout in the final game of a best-of-three regional quarterfinal series in Mineral Wells.
Glen Rose, which won 17 of its 21 games this season before facing Decatur, could not keep up with Decatur's deep batting order. That was the case in the final game of the season for the Tigers where the Eagles littered the field with 19 base hits.
The onslaught started early and often and three GHS pitchers could not find a way to stop the bleeding. Tompkins allowed one run on two hits in the first inning but was spectacular the rest of the way as he allowed just one hit in the final six innings of work.
Decatur (21-10) will now face Andrews, ranked No. 10 in the state, in a best-of-three series this weekend in Abilene. Game one is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Hardin Simmons University, while games two will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at McMurry University. Game three, if needed, will follow 30 minutes after the completion of game two.
The Eagles scored in all but one inning to slowly put an end to the Tigers' season. Parker, who walked, scored the first run of the game when Ryan Cangley ripped a double to left field.
Decatur went right back to work against pitcher Immanuel Morales in the second inning where they scored two more times. Francisco Perez singled and scored on a base hit from Brennan Moore, while Cody Barlow singled before finding his way home on a single via Tompkins to make it 3-1.
That's when Tompkins started to heat up offensively as he planted a lead-off fastball on the other side of the left-field fence for his first of three home runs to make it 4-1. He did the same thing in the sixth inning, only this time is was against Glen Rose ace pitcher Derek Thompson. Andrew Gage kept the inning alive with a single before he jogged home on a two-run dinger by Zach Gage which made it 9-1.
Tompkins continued to dominate from the mound where he retired the last nine batters he faced. However, the Eagles were not finished scoring as Tompkins and Parker smacked solo home runs in the seventh inning to put an exclamation point on the series victory.
Game one of the series was nothing like the following two as both teams played solid defense and kept the scoring at a minimum. Decatur, which outhit the Tigers 9-8, made the most of its opportunities to hold on for a 5-2 victory.
Chad Harrison knocked in the first two runs of the game for Decatur as he had RBI singles in the first and fourth innings, both of which scored Parker. DHS went up 3-1 when Harrison eventually scored on a passed ball.
Decatur pitcher Jake Connally kept Glen Rose at bay most of the way. The only other run he allowed came in the sixth inning thanks to a pair of singles and a walk that made it a 3-2 ball game.
The Eagles came up with a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning to seal the deal. Ryan Cangley blasted a lead-off home run and Moore, who was hit by a pitch, was moved to third on a single by Parker before eventually scoring on a wild pitch.
Relief pitcher Andrew Gage struck out two of the four batters he faced in the last inning to preserve the lead.
Decatur was not able to pick up the sweep as nothing went right in the second game. Playing without designated hitter Chad Harrison, who was in Lubbock for the regional track meet, the locals managed just five hits but also committed three errors which allowed Glen Rose to get all the offense it needed to even the series.
Glen Rose took control of the game early as it scattered four hits against pitcher Clint Moore but used two errors to score in each of the first three innings. The biggest hit came in the second inning when Ty Taylor ripped a two-run single to help put GRHS in front 5-0.
Glen Rose ace pitcher Derek Thompson, who kept DHS quiet for most of the game, struck out five batters in the first two innings. The Eagles threatened to score in the third inning when Moore singled and worked his way to third base before he was left stranded.
Decatur finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning when it pushed a pair of runs across home plate. Moore, who got on base via a fielder's choice, scored the first run of the game on a double by Tompkins. Parker followed with a single and quickly scored on a sacrifice hit by Gage to make it a 5-2 ball game.
There was not much Gage could do to keep things the way they were in the sixth inning when the Tigers dished out four hits and benefited from one error. A home run by Thompson and a double courtesy of Colt Plaster helped fuel a six-run inning that put GHS ahead 11-2.
Thompson retired five of the last six batters he faced to get the win and force a third and deciding game.
