After their 13-inning win against Plano East on Tuesday, March 26, the team faced East for a second time at home on Thursday, March 28. The seven-inning game ended in another win for Plano – the final score was 5-3.

Junior Kenneth Tabor was the starting pitcher for the game. The first batter to take to the plate swung twice until he hit a double. Tabor then allowed two walks to load the bases. Throughout the game, Plano’s ball handling was not up to par; Plano’s main weakness during the game stemmed from the players’ inability to get a hold of the ball. The final batter hit, and a player on third scored the first run for the opponent. The Plano’s batting lineup began with sophomore Cody Farhat. He struck out, and then sophomore Mitchell Hansen was walked to first base. The next batter hit the ball to outfield, giving Hansen a chance to run to home plate. The inning ended with Plano in the lead.

During the home team’s at bat, Senior Ryan Thomas stole second and slid into home plate. The crowd went crazy, cheering for him as his teammates ran onto the field, jumping up and down. Next, senior Brad Hoeler stepped up. He hit the ball underneath the pitcher’s legs and right by the second baseman.

Two innings went by with no runs for the home team, until the sixth inning, when Thomas stepped up to bat. He hit a double to far right field, bringing in Farhat for another run. The team’s momentum was boosted from that point on. Kaufman stole third base and was safe at home. Junior Connor Brady made it to second on his hit, and Kaufman followed. Brady scored Plano’s last run of the game.

The closing pitcher, junior Jake Fraze, was put in to relieve Tabor. He threw mostly strikes, but one fateful pitch ended up as a grand slam for East. Fraze did not allow any more base hits or runs. A double play on first and second struck out two players, bringing the game to an exciting close.

The next game is against Plano West on Friday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. at West.