Masen Gully and the Hays baseball team pulled the most dramatic comeback in head coach Doug Ragsdale’s memory, rallying from 9-0 down to beat Canyon High 12-11. The Rebs are now 4-1 in District 27-4A. (Photo by Liza Anna Amezquita)
by JOHN LOGAN
Doug Ragsdale has seen a lot of Hays baseball over the last two decades.
The longtime Rebel head coach witnessed a first Tuesday night.
Hays looked down and out after giving up nine runs in the top of the first inning against Canyon High at Rebel Field.
But the Rebels pulled off a miraculous rally to come back and beat the Cougars 12-11.
“In all my years as a Hays baseball coach I’ve never seen us come back from nine runs down,” Ragsdale said. “That was pretty amazing.”
Early on it looked like Canyon would have little trouble run-ruling the Rebels, as the Cougars sent 12 men to the plate in the top of the first. The inning, in which Canyon had seven base hits, was keyed by a Cameron Longmire grand slam.
Hays (15-7, 4-1 27-4A) got more than half the runs back in the bottom of the first inning, as RBI singles by Stefen Navarro and Trevor Ragsdale, and a wild Canyon throwing error, helped the Rebs cut the gap to 9-5.
Hays slowly chipped away at the lead from there, aided in great part by the strong relief pitching of Charlie Johnson, who slowed down the Canyon bats.
Reuben Miller’s RBI single in the bottom of the second brought a sliding Nick Cavazos home safely and trimmed the advantage to 9-6.
Victor Rubio homered in fourth, but Hays was still down 10-7 heading to the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Rebs finally made it all the way back when Cavazos’ double to the wall in left-center field cleared the bases and gave Hays a 12-10 lead.
“Down 9-0, most teams would have thought they were beat,” Rubio said. “But that’s what makes us the Hays Rebels. We were down, but we weren’t out.”
Cavazos came in to pitch during the top of the seventh for Hays and shut the door on Canyon, sending the Cougars (3-3 in 27-4A) down in order.
The Rebs are back in action Friday at district leading Smithson Valley.
