LEWISVILLE – One-game, winner-take-all situations are dicey propositions. Just ask the area's No. 1-ranked team Coppell, which got eliminated by Grapevine in the first round of the Class 5A baseball playoffs.
Grapevine (23-10) was longing for another chance after Tuesday. A throwing error in the seventh helped Plano East score the go-ahead run and capture a 3-2 nail-biter in the area round.
With a runner at third, Plano East pinch hitter Brandon Howle dribbled a slow roller into no-man's land. Grapevine first baseman Brett Hightower scrambled to his right to scoop the ball. But his throw tipped off pitcher Mason Melotakis' glove.
Pinch runner Brandon Lewis scored with ease as Plano East (15-12-1) advanced to meet Flower Mound Marcus in the regional quarterfinals. It's the first time Plano East has reached the third round since 2003.
"I knew it was going to be a bang-bang play," Plano East coach Travis Collins said. "We're fortunate, very fortunate."
Plano East put the pressure on early in the fourth, when Nick Bell smashed a two-run home run off Grapevine starter Cameron White. The right-handed senior settled down and allowed four other hits in six-plus innings.
Grapevine's Dominic Milo wiped away Bell's shot with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and an RBI single in the sixth. Plano East starter Jason Barrentine, a left-handed firebrand on the mound, didn't allow anything else in notching the complete-game victory.
