Magnolia caps spring break with sweep of Tomball Memorial

Magnolia had to work during spring break. So they made the most of it.

The Bulldogs – in just their second home game of the season – came out Thursday night in District 15-6A and beat Tomball Memorial 9-2 for a series sweep this week.

Magnolia (11-4-1, 4-0), which beat the Wildcats (8-8-1, 0-2) 10-3 on Tuesday, put together a quality night as it posted 12 hits while allowing just two. Both runs came in the sixth inning for the Wildcats.

“We’re swinging the bats really well and we’re getting good pitching,” Magnolia coach Chris Morris said. “The pitchers are keeping us in the game. We’re just getting some big hits. We’re just kind of playing good. There’s still some things we need to work on and get better at, but we’re swinging it and we’re playing well right now.”

The Bulldogs were led at the plate by sophomore Chase Lowery, who was 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Lowery directed an RBI double down the first-base line in the bottom of the first. Ian Pugh then chased Lowery home with a sacrifice fly.

The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the fourth when the Bulldogs busted things open with a four-run inning. They then tallied three more runs in the fifth in support of sophomore starting pitcher Jackson Wilcox.

“We put runs on the board,” Lowery, who also drove in a run Tuesday night, said. “I think it was a big night for everyone. I’m lucky that I came back and helped out the team. I honestly wasn’t the only one. We all had a great game and I’m just proud to be a Bulldog and that’s what we played for.”

Jordan Enyart finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. M.J. Watson, in a pinch-hitting spot, added an RBI, as did Clyde Williams. Jacob Hunter went 2-for-3.

With a 9-0 lead on the board, Wilcox was pulled after five innings of one-hit ball.

Senior Keegan Chavez had made the three previous district starts for the Bulldogs, all wins. Wilcox, effective in his tournament games and in relief duty the first district game against Klein Oak two weeks ago, struck out three and walked three while allowing no runs.

“I thought he did really well,” Morris said. “We held his composure well for a young kid. That’s pretty nerve-wracking. He’ll probably say he wasn’t nervous, but I’m sure he was. He threw strikes. He came out there and did what we asked him to do. He’s been doing it all year, so it’s really nothing different.”

Gavin Garcia allowed one earned run in ⅓ of an inning in relief. Jacob Neely pitched a scoreless 1⅔ innings with two strikeouts and two walks to close out the game.

Jack See, Tomball Memorial’s starting pitcher, had the lone RBI and run scored for the Wildcats. Tyler Collins knocked him in on a fielder’s choice in the sixth.

Lowery’s first-inning double was the lone extra-base hit of the night for the Bulldogs. Pugh, Chavez and Williams all homered on Tuesday with Pugh and Chavez driving in three runs apiece.

With sweep of Klein Oak and Tomball Memorial in their foray into Class 6A ball, the Bulldogs are off to their best district start since going 9-0 in 2021.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” Lowery said. “The chemistry is there. We’re all friends in the locker room and on the field, which helps. Those are two tough teams that we started off with and I think we just kept our composure and stayed ready.”

Magnolia has allowed three-or-less runs in 10 games already this year and are 6-1-1 in its past eight games.

While the Bulldogs do have a non-district game next week, its essentially a bye for the Bulldogs.

“It’s a good time for us,” Morris said. “I think we’re kind of tired. I know I’m tired. It gives us a chance to take a break. We do play College Station here Tuesday for senior night, so we’re excited about that. But it’s a good time to take a break.”

Having played 16 games in three weeks, Magnolia is ready for a short reprieve.

“This is a great time to get a bye week,” Lowery said. “We’ve been working really hard and we deserve it. We’ll come back better.”