Thrilling Frisco Classic Finale Ends with No. 25 Dallas Baptist Overcoming No. 16 Alabama
The 2024 Frisco Classic saved its best for last.
In the grand finale, contested for the event’s championship belt, ranked heavyweights Alabama and Dallas Baptist showed why some regard them as sleepers to be playing deep into the month of June. The Patriots handed the Crimson Tide its first defeat of the 2024 season in a 7-5 thriller that took 12 innings to decide.
The standout of Sunday’s game on the mound for Alabama was freshman reliever Matthew Heiberger, who also caught an Arizona runner stealing home to close the book on Saturday’s victory. He entered with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning and got out of it unscathed. He faced five batters. The southpaw from the state of Alabama struck out all five swinging. "Just an elite job by Matty," head coach Rob Vaughn said. "We were asking him to come back after a really emotional game yesterday, and he comes in and is a cool customer." Every time the Crimson Tide posted a zero in the top half of a late inning, Vaughn felt like his team was going to come out on top, but production did not follow in the bottom frames.
On the offensive end, No. 25 Dallas Baptist (10-1) drew first blood on (ironically) a perfectly executed double steal of second base and home plate. Evan Sleight responded in the bottom of the second with a long home run to straightaway center. Throughout the game, the Patriots would launch multiple home runs that traveled further, including a bomb by catcher Grant Jay for 459 feet. Freshman Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron added a two-run home run to the berm in the fourth inning.
Sleight went on to be named Frisco Classic MVP. Heiberger made the all-tournament team at relief pitcher despite entering the last game after ballots were technically due.
A key error by left fielder Ian Petrutz in the top of the sixth allowed a free baserunner at second, followed by a 447-foot Chayton Krauss home run off Kade Snell. During the prior half-inning, the No. 16 Crimson Tide (11-1) had stranded the bases loaded. That leveled things at five runs apiece, where things would stay through the regulation innings.
"We didn't deserve to win today," Vaughn said. Sunday's defeat was the first loss on his record as the Alabama coach. "[Dallas Baptist] deserved it. They got big swings in big spots. They capitalized on some of our mistakes. Sometimes that happens. It was a good game. We just ended up on the wrong side of it." Vaughn added that he hopes to see a better version of Alabama in its next game on Tuesday.
In the 10th inning, with the first two gone, Lebron singled through the left side of the infield. That turned the card over for third baseman Gage Miller, who sent one a long way foul before striking out on a controversial check swing call. Assistant coach Mike Morrison went on to be ejected following his displeasure at the call. Alabama also hit into multiple double plays during the matchup, continuing a theme that carried over from Saturday.
Also effective initially was the pitcher who followed Heiberger, newcomer Coulson Buchanan, who first shouldered the burden of the opening two extra innings and struck out three. After he retired the side in the 11th, center fielder TJ McCants took to the dish. McCants had already extended his hitting streak to 12 games by starting 2-2. In his most important at-bat of the game, he faced Tyler Schott, who was making his season debut for the Patriots. There are certainly spots of lower pressure to make one’s first trot to the mound in a season.
McCants struck out looking after Schott started him 3-0. The leadoff walk is a less-than-ideal scenario for the pitching team in late innings. Enter Petrutz, who was 0-5 and previously grounded into a double play. He chased on a pitch well outside. The last call in the 11th inning, lest things move on to the 12th, was first baseman Will Hodo.
Hodo hit a game-tying home run on Saturday against Arizona. Against Schott, he struck out. The marathon contest rolled on.
Buchanan was called upon once more to take the 12th inning. He struck out the first man he faced. Next was Jay, an alumnus of Mobile Christian in Alabama. He hit another home run, this time to left center. That one was good for 468 feet. Jay made his big hits count. Dallas Baptist plated one more in the inning on a Krauss single to score Ethan Mann. That was after Buchanan's departure from the game. Braylon Myers surrendered the Patriots' seventh run. Krauss earned a spot on the all-tournament team's infielding stable. Mann made it at outfield.
"Thought we fought like heck," Vaughn said. "What [Patriots head coach] Dan [Heefner]'s got in that dugout is pretty special."
Alabama failed to respond in the bottom of the inning while facing new pitcher Nick Wilson, despite getting runners aboard and bringing the winning run to the plate. Lebron struck out swinging to end it. The extra-innings fight went to Dallas Baptist, though it wasn't by any means an easy game for either side. These are the types of contests coaches hope their teams can take part in. Performances in similar moments can determine the outcome of postseason games, and two postseason-caliber teams duked it out in Frisco, Texas, on Sunday night.
"The timely hitting wasn't quite there for us," said Vaughn. "Bron's gonna be in that spot a lot. I thought [Wilson] was gonna hang the slider and he was gonna pump one out of there and we were gonna be jumping around home plate. Instead, he executed it, and that's the game of baseball. When they needed the pitch, they executed it... We were a mistake here, an execution here, a little bit short of getting out of here 3-0."
The Crimson Tide still had a successful weekend, going 2-1 in three games and collecting a ranked win. The Patriots did the same, rebounding from a Saturday loss against Indiana to topple Alabama from the ranks of the unbeaten. The event's championship final absolutely came down to it, and somebody had to fall eventually. On the strength of four combined home runs, including the two huge ones by Jay, Dallas Baptist sent the Crimson Tide to the mat.
How It Happened:
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- Alabama gets runners on in B12 but cannot capitalize. Dallas Baptist wins an absolutely epic game, 7-5, in 12 innings.
- Last call coming for Alabama in B12. It'll be Swinney, Sleight and Guscette to face new pitcher Nick Wilson with the Crimson Tide's unbeaten mark on the line.
- Dallas Baptist adds another on a Krauss RBI. 7-5 Patriots with two away.
- Grant Jay hits one 468 feet to give Dallas Baptist the 6-5 lead. Buchanan is lifted for Braylon Myers with one away in T12. Buchanan was good, but Jay made his big hits count in painful ways for the Crimson Tide.
- In his season debut, the Patriots' Tyler Schott strikes out the side of lefties. On to the 12th. What a game.
- Three up, three down for Buchanan in T11. McCants will lead off the bottom half with yet another chance to win.
- Nothing on the board for the Crimson Tide in B10. A controversial check swing call ends the frame and Gage Miller goes down on strikes. 11th inning coming up.
- Another chance for Alabama in the bottom of the 10th with the game tied. Guscette will lead things off. 5-5. Buchanan struck out the last batter of T10.
- Coulson Buchanan is now pitching for the Crimson Tide.
- Alabama goes down 1, 2, 3 in the top of the ninth. Sleight strikes out on three pitches to end the regulation innings. On to extras in Frisco.
- Heiberger strikes out the side in T9. Five batters faced, five men down swinging. 4, 5, 6 coming up in B9 with a chance to win it for the Crimson Tide.
- To the ninth. Ian Petrutz just missed a three-run homer to end the eighth, but it falls harmlessly into the outfielder's glove. It's coming down to it. 5-5.
- Heiberger gets two swinging Ks to strand them full. What a spot for the freshman. He answered the bell. 5-5.
- George loads the bags with one out in T8. In comes hard-throwing freshman Matthew Heiberger, who finished the Arizona game. Big moment for him.
- New DBU pitcher Conner Mackay strands Evan Sleight in the seventh. No damage by either team in the inning. Final two regulation innings inbound.
- George retires the Patriots in order during T7 and strikes out Jay with the fastball to send the Frisco Classic final into stretch time.
- Pierce George, who is capable of hitting triple digits with his fastball, is on to pitch for the Crimson Tide.
- The seventh inning is next. Home stretch of this game. Alabama strands McCants on first in B6. No difference in scores anymore in this one: 5-5 between these ranked foes. Top of the order coming up for Dallas Baptist.
- Home half of the sixth on deck. First up is Lebron, Miller and McCants. Whole new game.
- Dallas Baptist has tied this game. After a dropped ball in deep left by Ian Petrutz allows a baserunner, Chayton Krauss hits it well up the berm for a home run, 447 feet. 5-5 in T6.
- In potentially a huge moment, Haines forces Eblin to hit a 2-2 into a double play, stranding the bags full and keeping the score where it is at 5-3. Sixth inning coming up.
- Dillon Haines coming in to pitch for DBU after Benge loads the bases without retiring a batter in the frame.
- The home half of the fifth is coming up with the cleanup spot on deck.
- Grant Jay, who was part of the game-ending double play in the loss yesterday against Indiana, just made this a two-run game with a mammoth two-out home run. 459 feet. 5-3 Alabama in T5.
- Kade Snell in to pitch for Greg Farone.
- The second double play Alabama has hit into today ends the fourth inning, but with more runs on the board courtesy of the Lebron home run.
- Justin Lebron sends a two-strike pitch to the berm for a home run, giving the Crimson Tide some separation in the bottom of the fourth. 5-2, Crimson Tide. Big hit for the freshman, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the game.
- Benge induces a double play to end the third inning. Still a 3-2 game.
- DBU is going to the bullpen as Ellwanger is hurt. Something bothering him after Hodo flies out on a payoff pitch. The new pitcher is Connor Benge.
- Dallas Baptist gets back within one in T3 but no further damage. Heart of the order up next for the Crimson Tide.
- Patriots leadoff man Alex Pendergast launches one a long way to left to bring his team back within one, 3-2. Sent it over the terrace.
- TJ McCants extends his hitting streak to 12 games and picks up his 20th and 21st RBIs. 3-1, Alabama. He didn't miss the bases-loaded chance. Petrutz flies out to end the second inning with the Crimson Tide in front.
- Sleight ties things up with a solo shot to the deepest part of the park in dead center. Got a fastball. Sent it 428 feet. 1-1.
- The top of the second is complete. 5, 6, 7 hitters due up for Alabama in the bottom half, starting with Mason Swinney.
- Dallas Baptist's Luke Heefner scores the game's first run on a double steal. 1-0 Patriots. A better outcome for them than Arizona's attempted steal of home yesterday.
- First inning in the books with no score for either team. Alabama strands TJ McCants in scoring position after he walked to cap an 11-pitch AB.
- Farone has a quick inning with one hit and three flyouts in T1. Crimson Tide comes to bat for the first time of the afternoon next. He threw only eight pitches.
- First pitch at 4 p.m. CT on the dot.
- Alabama batting lineup: Gage Miller, third base; TJ McCants, center field; Ian Petrutz, left field; Will Hodo, first base; Mason Swinney, designated hitter; Evan Sleight, right field; Mac Guscette, catcher; Bryce Eblin, second base; Justin Lebron, shortstop; P: Greg Farone, LHP
- Dallas Baptist batting lineup: Alex Pendergast, right field; Miguel Santos, second base; Grant Jay, catcher, Ethan Mann, left field; Michael Dattalo, designated hitter; Luke Heefner, shortstop; Chayton Krauss, third base; Nathan Humphreys, center field; Tom Poole, first base; P: James Ellwanger, RHP
