In the heat of district competition the Varsity baseball team, who came into the day 1-4 in district play, took Warrior Field against third-place Vista Ridge on Tuesday, March 26. This matchup could determine the Warriors’ chances of securing a spot in the playoffs. The Warriors put a familiar face on the mound with Ridge Morgan ‘24 taking the field to open the game. Morgan, along with late-game heroics from Owen Norrell ‘24 boosted the Warriors over the Rangers to a 3-2 win that left Vista Ridge stunned.

“[Vista Ridge] played really hard today,” Norrell said. “It came down to the wire at the very end. They scored one at the very end to put them up and then we came back and scored two right after that. That’s baseball. You just gotta play to the very last pitch.”

Both teams scored in the first inning to open the game with the Rangers reaching home on a wild pitch from Morgan, and the Warriors finding the plate off of a line drive to center field from Justice Moore ‘26. Despite the earned run, Morgan came out of the inning successfully with a strikeout and two forced ground balls to get the Warriors out of an early jam.

“I knew that there were runners on base, and I knew we needed runs early in the game,” Moore said. “I just did what I did. Styling a fastball, hitting it up the middle, got an RBI, and it set the tone for the game.”

Following an exciting first inning, the next few were marked as a defensive battle with both pitchers finding success. For the next three innings, Morgan raked in three more strikeouts, keeping the Rangers from scoring and giving the Warriors the opportunity to take a lead in the bottom of the fourth. After Jacob Wright ‘25 was walked and Antonio Martinez ‘26 layed down a sacrifice bunt, the Warriors were in prime scoring position with a base hit bringing the runner home. And the streak didn’t stop there with a Warrior runner stealing third giving the next batter the opportunity for a sacrifice fly. Unfortunately the next two batters were struck out, leaving potential runs on the bases; Bringing the game into the fifth inning.

“We’ve been struggling a little bit these past few games,” Moore said. “We’ve been working a lot on our defense and it’s been paying off.”

The fifth inning was a turning point for the Warriors who started their defensive half in trouble, as Morgan gave up a double to left-center field and a bunt base-hit the very next batter. With runners on first and third and zero outs to the Rangers’ name, the Warriors were at risk of giving up the potentially game-winning run. Fortunately for the Warriors, the runner on first was caught in a pickle being tagged out on his way to second base by Lane Wood ‘24. In all the chaos the runner from third looked home trying to give the Rangers back their lead, however, Wood smartly fired the ball right to Mike Davis ’24 at home plate, tagging the runner out and saving a run on a double-play.

“It was a crazy momentum shift,” Wood said. “First and third, no outs. I mean, got the guy a second and then threw at home, two outs, saved a run, still tied. It was a great play.”

With momentum fiercely behind the Warriors after an electric play, the Warriors got their chance to strike back, taking the latter half of the fifth and sixth innings intently with an opportunity to score. Unfortunately, the runs did not cross home as the Rangers put in a new left-handed pitcher who had the Warriors’ number, posting two strikeouts in four at-bats. Following that, the Warriors found themselves down 2-1 at the top of the seventh inning after a line drive to center, sending the Rangers home to take the lead. After stopping the bleeding with just one run allowed, the Warriors took to the dugout to prepare for their final at-bats in hopes of walking it off with a win.

Starting from the top of the order Jackson Gula ‘24 reached first on an infield single, giving the Warriors the jumpstart they needed. Wood laid down a sacrifice bunt to get the Warriors in scoring position with Gula at second in the hopes of tying or even taking the game. Next, Morgan, hitting third, then reached on an infield single, sending Gula to third. John Ramsey ‘24 was hit by a pitch, loading up the bases with just one out. On a 2-2 count Norrell was battling the pitcher when he saw a fastball up the middle, smashing the ball into the outfield, bringing home both runners from second and third, and walking off the game in an astonishing turn of events earning the 3-2 win.

“You can’t be scared to go up there in that situation,” Norrell said. “When I saw the ball leave my bat, I was just like, ‘We won,’ and winning is always a great feeling.”

The Warriors will play Vista Ridge again on Thursday, March 28, at Vista Ridge for their next game.