With Conway clinging to a 4-2 lead against Stoutland in the bottom of the fifth, senior standout Hunter Dame did what good seniors are expected to do in tight games.
He took over…
The Missouri State signee came in relief to end the fifth with a strike and added a two-run single in the top of the seventh to help the Bears to an 8-3 road win over Stoutland.
“It’s a luxury that’s very nice in having a kid like that,” said Conway coach Clay Bilyeu. “He’s been in those tough spots before and it doesn’t really affect him much; I think he likes the pressure. He seems to play better in those bigger moments.”
Dame's strikeout was part of a run that saw him retire seven of the nine batters he faced with a punch out, helping to slam the door on Stoutland.
“He’s a great pitcher; he’s the best we’ve seen and the best we’ll see all year,” said Stoutland coach Clint Horn. “We accomplished what we wanted tonight, which was forcing Coach Bilyeu to bring in his No. 1 pitcher; something that hasn’t happened since I’ve been here at Stoutland.”
The Tigers grabbed a 2-0 lead after a quick start, but Conway answered with a two-spot of its own in the top of the second.
The Bears would take a 3-2 advantage on Chris Vavruska’s solo home run in the third and never trailed again.
Junior Dylan Dampier was able settle in following his shaky start, even pitching himself out of a jam in the fourth. He struck out eight and allowed just three hits.
“He’s pitched well for us all year and given us quality innings every time out,” said Bilyeu. “He usually gets off to a slow start, which maybe we need to get him running or something before to calm him down a little bit, but when he settles in he’s tough and he’s been a huge pickup for us.”
A double and an error got Stoutland in position to make a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Dame slammed the door shut with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game, giving him six in just 2 1/3 innings of work.
While the loss was tough for Stoutland (6-2), Coach Horn understands that it's exactly that Conway is exactly the kind of team he needs to play in order for the Tigers to be prepared to make runs in the Frisco League and Class 2 alike.
“They’re one of the best teams on our schedule and we are going to fight out what we are made of this week,” said Horn. “I felt good about how we competed for six innings, battling with one of the top Class 3 teams in the state. We’re happy, but we’ve got to clean it up and finish better.”
Conway is ranked No. 5 in Class 3 and has eight seniors back from last year's district championship team.
After several playoff disappointments, the Bears are eager for a Final Four trip and throwing Dampier in with the quality arms of Dame, Andrew Huckaby and Ethan Medlock, this Conway team is as equipped as any to make a run.
“We are hoping to have those guys a little fresher towards the end of the season and maybe not have so many innings on their arms,” said Bilyeu. “They are all very different which helps us in certain matchups and not many Class 3 programs have that… This is the final shot for these eight seniors and we’ve talked about trying to stay focused, which can be hard when you’re playing three or four games a week. We are trying to make that push and we’ve talked about not giving away a single game, inning or out.”
