Midland vs. Frenship
March 21, 2019
WOLFFORTH, TX- The Bulldogs of Midland High (13-8,2-2) made the trip to Wolfforth to take on the Tigers of Frenship (14-5,3-1) for a stake in the top spot in district 2-6A.
A promising pitcher’s matchup was in the making with two uncommitted seniors in RHP Austin Phillips (Frenship, No. 77 ranked RHP in the PRB 2019 class rankings), and RHP Randall Blanscett (Midland) getting the starts in this one. Phillips would throw five complete innings, punching out five, allowing only three hits. His counterpart in Blanscett would also throw five complete innings, throwing four scoreless, punching out nine, and allowing only three hits.
Midland wasted no time getting started, as leadoff hitter Midland College commit 2B Copper Juaz roped a single up the middle, and later scored from second on a passed ball giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead in the first. Phillips had some trouble finding the zone in the second giving up a handful of walks and a Tiger defensive error that would lead to three unearned runs scored by the Bulldogs, giving Midland a 4-0 lead in the second.
Frenship came back with a couple of their own runs in the second off the bat of senior SS Christian Kiser. Kiser put the Tigers on the board with a 2RBI single through the left side. 4-2 Midland.
After the exit of Blanscett in the fifth, Frenship would begin to push back in the sixth when 3B Jacob Gutierrez (UNM Commit) tied the game on a two-run RBI single. After a pitching change with a full count, Midland College commit 1B Riley Robinson came through with a clutch two-run RBI double to give Frenship the lead 6-4 in the sixth.
Howard College commit RHP Colton Brown took over on the mound in the sixth closed the door with two innings of relief, collecting four strikeouts, allowing no runs.
Final Score: Frenship 6, Midland 4
Frenship
J. Gutierrez: 1-3, 2 RBI, R
R. Robinson: 1-3, 2 RBI, 2B
A. Phillips: 5 IP, 3H, 5K, 1R
C. Brown: 2 IP, 0H, 4K, 0R
Midland
R. Blanscett: 5 IP, 9K, 3H, 1R
Austin Phillips, RHP, Frenship, 2019
Uncommitted. Phillips has a strong, projectable frame at 6-foot-3, 225-pounds with broad shoulders and strong lower-half. The right-hander works exclusively from the stretch with a high ¾ release and long arm stroke, with a balanced, athletic delivery. His fastball sat 83-85 through most of the outing, dropping to low 80’s a couple of times. His slider is his go to pitch at 75-78 with tight spin.
Randall Blanscett, RHP, Midland, 2019
Uncommitted. Blanscett has a long-limbed, lanky frame at 6-foot-1, 175-pound, wiry strong frame with plenty of room for continued physical development. Blanscett has been virtually unhittable both times we have seen him, and arguably one of the top uncommitted arms in the state. The right hander works from a ¾ arm slot with long loose arm stroke, repeatable delivery with more velocity likely to come in the future. Fastball has made a jump since the last time we saw him, constantly sitting 88-90 getting on hitters very quickly. Breaking ball has 12-6 shape at 68-69 with depth. Was able to command and locate both pitches to both sides of the plate, pounding the strike zone throughout the entire outing.
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