Sunday, April 28, 1996

Deja vu all over again for Cooper baseball fans

By AL PICKETT
Sports Editor

Cooper baseball fans enjoyed a litte deja vu Saturday. They wouldn't mind if it happened all over again, too.

The Cougars won their first District 4-5A baseball championship Saturday since 1993, and they did it in remarkably similar fashion to the '93 squad.

Like '93, Cooper tied Midland Lee for the district title this year, forcing a one-game playoff to decide the championship.

In '93, the Cougars scored a run on a throwing error with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to stake a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Rebels at Hardin-Simmons University's Hunter Field.

On Saturday, Cooper used an even more dramatic finish at Cougar Field. With the score tied 5-5 and two outs and no one on base in the bottom of the seventh, designated hitter Cory Aldridge launched the first offering from Lee pitcher Mike Hale over the right-field fence for a home run, a 6-5 victory and Cooper's ninth district baseball championship since 1984.

"It was a hanging curve," the 6-2, 210-pound Aldridge said. "I was just looking for a pitch to hit. It was fat."

And Aldridge got all of it, leaving little doubt after the ball left the bat that it was going over the fence.

"I didn't even see it until I was on second and I heard everyone yelling," he said. "I had a dream when I was sitting in the dugout by myself. I was thinking home run. I knew I had to hit it."

Wonder if Aldridge has had any premonitions about the postseason playoffs?

In '93, the Cougars parlayed their district playoff win over Midland Lee into an impressive postseason playoff stretch run that didn't end until they lost to Arlington Martin in the Class 5A state championship game in Austin.

There are several similarities between the '93 and '96 Cougars. Shorstop Craft Hughes was a freshman reserve on that team, having been called up from the junior varsity for the playoffs.
And Kyle Frush, Miles Durham and Michael Anderson watched as older brothers Jimmy Frush, Nathan Durham and David Anderson played key roles for the '93 Cougars.

There's even one eerie similarity for Midland Lee from '93 to '96. Third baseman Alex Hale made the critical throwing error in '93. On Saturday - you guessed it - his younger brother Mike was the losing pitcher who gave up Aldridge's home run.

Cooper will have to wait a week before finding out if it can begin to repeat the '93 stretch run. Saturday's win gave the Cougars a first-round bye in the playoffs, allowing them a little time to savor their dramatic finish to win the district championship.

"That was what we needed," Aldridge said. "It's the greatest feeling I've had."