The season came to a difficult end for the Amarillo High Sandies, whose bats went quiet at the wrong time in a two-game playoff sweep against Aledo.
After piling up 31 wins and establishing themselves as one of the area’s top teams all spring, the Sandies were eliminated after an 8-1 loss Thursday followed by a 7-2 defeat Friday against a powerful Aledo squad that improved to 35-3.
Amarillo High showed early promise in the opener. Sergio Valencia reached base and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Xander Plowman in the top of the first inning, giving the Sandies a quick 1-0 lead. It marked the only time Amarillo High would lead in the series.
From there, Aledo settled in and took control. The Bearcats broke through in the fourth inning of Game 1, scoring three runs off Amarillo High starter Taegen Tate to grab the lead for good. Aledo continued to add on late while keeping the Sandies’ offense contained the rest of the night.
That momentum carried directly into Friday’s elimination game.
Aledo wasted little time seizing command, erupting for four runs in the first inning before adding three more in the second to build a 7-0 advantage. Combined with the close of Thursday’s game, the Bearcats put together a dominant stretch of 15 unanswered runs over the two contests.
Amarillo High managed to break through in the fifth inning Friday with a pair of runs, but the deficit proved too large to overcome as the Sandies’ season came to a close.
Despite the abrupt ending, Amarillo High finishes the year with an impressive 31-6 record and a season filled with consistent success. The Sandies spent much of the spring proving themselves as one of the Panhandle’s premier programs, and while the playoff run ended earlier than hoped, the foundation remains strong moving forward.
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