Thompson solidifies closer role as Legacy holds on for win over Palo Verde

The difference between a good baseball team and a great one can often be in its bullpen.

And Legacy knows it can rely on its closer.

Longhorns senior Adam Thompson put an end to a high-drama finish against Palo Verde on Friday, slamming the door on a seventh-inning rally to lead the Longhorns to a 7-6 victory against the visiting Panthers.

“I wanted to mix in my fastball and change-up to get them off balance,” Thompson said. “I tried to throw as many strikes as I could and was able to get the job done by blowing the fastball by them.”

Thompson inherited a 7-5 lead to start the inning and escaped a bases-loaded jam by striking out Matt Hutchings and Jared Webb to earn the save for the Longhorns (17-8, 12-1 Northwest League) and preserve Legacy’s 10-game win streak.

“(Thompson is) the guy that we go to, and he got it done,” Legacy coach Bill Dexheimer said. “He located his change-up down, which definitely made his fastball look like it had a little more gidd-yup on it. Palo Verde’s a great hitting team and they’ve proven that. They’ve got guys one through nine who can swing it.”

Palo Verde’s Christian Centrella reached on a one-out infield single, advanced to third on a double by Billy Bob Ward, and the Panthers (14-12, 8-5) loaded the bases after Dan Jaffe took first base on catcher’s interference.

Zac Benson followed with an RBI single to left field that cut the deficit to 7-6.

Palo Verde’s third base coach held Ward at third base on Benson’s single, perhaps feeling gun-shy after sending Benson home on a single by Hutchings in the top of the sixth inning with no outs, trailing 7-5. On that occasion, Benson was easily gunned down by Legacy rightfielder Andres Ortiz.

“Ortiz made a great throw and that was a big play,” Dexheimer said. “That definitely took the momentum away from Palo in that inning.”

The Panthers were held to one run in the top of the sixth as Zak Porter’s sacrifice fly plated Hutchings, but the Longhorns answered with their own sacrifice fly, when Donald Glover scored Dylan Baumgarte.

Legacy broke a 4-4 tie in the fifth, taking advantage of a leadoff walk, two infield errors and a sacrifice bunt to score two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Joey Lauria earned the win and was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Longhorns. Thompson was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, and Pierce Skinner added two hits.

Benson went 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and a walk for Palo Verde. Ward was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Centrella added an RBI double for the Panthers.