Arnold powers Flower Mound past Prosper in bi-district Game 3

"I thought (Arnold) struck him out and sometimes a young pitcher will think about the fact that he didn't get the strikeout and suddenly you look up a couple batters later and you're in trouble," Wallace said. "I just told him, 'Take a deep breath and relax. They're not going to get to you if you keep doing what you're doing.'"

Three pitches and one groundout later, Arnold and the Jaguars were on to the next round in the Class 6A playoffs. Bolstered by some timely offense in the top of the seventh inning, Flower Mound edged Prosper for a 2-1 victory on Saturday from Richardson High School in Game 3 of the teams' bi-district playoff series.

"It's big. I love doing this stuff for my boys. They've had my back all season," Arnold said. "I didn't get to touch the field as much, but I still believed in them and they believed in me when it became my chance, and we got it done."

FINAL: Flower Mound 2, Prosper 1@FMJagsHardball is moving on!! Mason Arnold comes through with a complete-game effort on the mound, and Sam Erickson delivers the go-ahead RBI in the top of the 7th. Heck of a series on both sides in this one. pic.twitter.com/351ywEfd30

— Matt Welch (@MWelchSLM) May 6, 2023

It was a redemptive moment for the Jaguars, who went 25-8-2 during the regular season and finished second in District 6-6A, only to find themselves entrenched in a three-day roller coaster opposite Prosper. The Eagles and Jaguars totaled 19 innings between the first two games of their series, with Prosper taking Game 1 in eight innings on Thursday, 8-6, and Flower Mound outlasting an 11-inning war in Friday's Game 2, 9-8.

"After Thursday night, they came together and didn't want their seasons to end," Wallace said. "The seniors didn't want their careers to end, and they did an amazing job the next two games of playing for each other."

To whatever extent those first two ballgames may have taxed the two teams' pitching staffs, Saturday's rubber match steered free of any chaos on the mound. Flower Mound didn't miss a beat with Arnold on the hill — he pitched all seven innings and allowed just one run on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

"My fastball wasn't really there for me today, so I had to rely on my slider and my change-up, which got it done," said Arnold, who pitched just one inning in relief during Flower Mound's district run.

Prosper sophomore Luke Billings kept the Eagles afloat with 6.2 innings pitched. The righty limited Flower Mound to just two runs on five hits. The 2022 Star Local Media all-area newcomer of the year, Billings also staked the Eagles to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI double.

End 3: Prosper 1, Flower Mound 0@ThePHSBaseball is on the board! Timely hitting for Prosper with two outs, leading to an RBI from Luke Billings to put the Eagles in front in Game 3. pic.twitter.com/79ti2z4KvN

— Matt Welch (@MWelchSLM) May 6, 2023

But scoring opportunities were far and few between on Saturday, despite the high-octane outcomes of the first two games in the series. A stiff wind had plenty to do with that, so Flower Mound chose to adapt.

"It's a hard place to score with the wind going in," Wallace said. "There were a lot of well-hit balls that the wind just ate up. We just decided that if it was going to go down, we were going to go down running bases and trying to force something."

Flower Mound pulled even in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded RBI groundout by senior Ryder McDaniel, who went 2-of-4 in the win, and stayed persistent in pursuing the go-ahead run. Although Billings and the Eagles used that aggression on the base paths against Flower Mound in the sixth inning, including a chase-down for the frame's third out, the Jaguars didn't relent in the top of the seventh.

Junior Sam Distel drew a lead-off walk and junior pinch-runner Tell Moter stole second moments later. Prosper managed two outs before junior Sam Erickson delivered a line drive to center field, scoring Moter for the go-ahead run.

"Sam Erickson is special. I'm really surprised, honestly, that they pitched to him. But they did and he came through like he does," Wallace said.

Top 7: @FMJagsHardball takes the lead! With 2 outs and 2 strikes, Sam Erickson singles in the go-ahead run to give Flower Mound a 2-1 lead on Prosper. pic.twitter.com/6qtvnpsuXm

— Matt Welch (@MWelchSLM) May 6, 2023

Arnold and the Flower Mound defense took care of the rest, advancing past bi-district to set up a rematch of last season's area round with South Grand Prairie at a time and place to be determined next week.

"Do it for my boys. It's all for my boys," Arnold said. "We've been pushing, we've had some ups and downs this season, but I had to come out here and do it for my boys. This is my family."