Texas Tech baseball signee Logan Addison tosses no-hitter as New Home downs Ropes for title

ROPESVILLE — Logan Addison was upset after losing a perfect game in the fifth inning, but he admitted it took away some of the pressure.

The Texas Tech baseball signee settled for the next best thing, hurling his second no-hitter of the season to give New Home the outright district championship.

The Leopards downed second-place Ropes 5-1 on the road Tuesday, improving to 10-0 in District 4-2A with two games remaining. It is New Home's fifth consecutive league title.

Logan Addison's perfect start

Addison cruised the first time through the Eagles' lineup. He retired 12 in a row, before Kade Franklin drew a walk to lead the fifth.

"It was brutal," Addison said with a smile. "It was kind of a little bit of a relief, to let me kind of just throw a little bit."

Addison struck out the next three batters. He tallied 13 strikeouts and four walks. Half the walks came on consecutive batters in the seventh. An error on a pickoff attempt at second base brought in Ropes' lone run.

The Leopards closed the no-hitter with a caught stealing, and the team could finally talk about what had been unsaid.

"Nobody's saying anything (in game), but he knows," New Home coach Brady Webb said. "And we know that he knows. … He did a great job of finishing it."

Brazos Beck diving stop preserves no-hitter

The Leopards defense contributed to the no-hitter, perhaps no one more than Brazos Beck. The second baseman had two put-outs and two assists, including a highlight-reel stop in the sixth inning.

Beck dove to his left to snag Brayden Hogg's sharp grounder and completed the throw to first in time.

"I said, 'Dude, I appreciate you for that.' That's all I said," Addison said. "… I saw that off the bat and I was like, 'Brazos got that,' and then he dove. It was a pretty cool moment."

Beck was involved in all but two balls Ropes put in play.

New Home hot with playoffs on the horizon

New Home, ranked No. 3 in Class 2A by Texas High School Baseball, notched eight hits, including two home runs. Ryder Starkey opened the scoring with a first-inning blast, and Ryder Watkins capped the scoring with one in the seventh.

It was a strong, balanced performance to complete the season sweep of No. 12 Ropes. The Leopards won 13-5 at Zant Field on Saturday.

New Home (23-3) has won 11 in a row heading into the final series against Sundown. The Leopards are coming off consecutive state-tournament appearances and will again be among the region favorites.

"I'm pretty confident in our guys," Addison said. "… Our bats are kind of coming together. We have a few off days, but that means someone else is having a good day. I think we're heating up at the right time, and I think we're really gonna look good here in the playoffs."

DISTRICT 4-2A

New Home 5, Ropes 1

New Home 110 010 2 — 5 8 1

Ropes 000 000 1 — 1 0 1

Logan Addison. Bode Franklin and Cutter Stumbo (6). W — Addison. L — Franklin. 2B — New Home, Ashton Lucio. HR — New Home, Ryder Starkey, Ryder Watkins.

Records: New Home 23-3, 10-0; Ropes 17-6, 7-3.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball signee Logan Addison throws no-hitter vs. Ropes