Emerson's Clutch Triple Lifts Cardinals Over Cornerstone Christian 5-4 to Complete Thursday Sweep
Fort Worth Christian defeated Cornerstone Christian 5-4. Thu · Feb 12, 2026
Fort Worth Christian Cardinals baseball · 2026 season.
Fort Worth Christian completed a thrilling Thursday sweep, edging out Cornerstone Christian 5-4 under the lights to take both ends of their split doubleheader. After shutting out Legacy Christian earlier in the afternoon, the Cardinals (5-1) had to grind out a nail-biter against a resilient Cornerstone squad to cap off the night.
The Cardinals' offense found a rhythm early, stringing together key hits to build an advantage. Jake Parkerson jumpstarted the momentum by hammering a double to deep center field. Moments later, Hank Austin capitalized on the scoring opportunity, ripping a line-drive single into right-center to bring Parkerson around to score and put FWC on the board.
Cornerstone Christian refused to go quietly, battling back to tie the game at 2-2 in the middle innings on a sharp RBI double to left-center field by W Schultz. The visitors kept the pressure on with another RBI double from K Looez that found the right-field wall, testing the Cardinals' resolve in a back-and-forth dogfight.
Cometh the hour, cometh Grady Emerson. With the game hanging in the balance, Emerson delivered the knockout blow, lacing a clutch triple into right field. The blazing line drive allowed Griffin Carney to score all the way from first as Emerson slid safely into third, providing the decisive run in the 5-4 victory.
With the Thursday sweep in the books and their record sitting at an impressive 5-1, Fort Worth Christian now turns its attention to weekend tournament action. The Cardinals will face off against Dallas HSAA on Friday evening, looking to keep their bats hot and their winning streak alive.
Top plays
- Top of 1st, 0 out — N Rodriguez walks, Andrew Ridgell pitching.
- Bottom of 2nd, 0 out — Jake Parkerson doubles on a fly ball to center fielder S Molina.
- Bottom of 2nd, 0 out — Hank Austin singles on a line drive to right fielder N Rodriguez, Jake Parkerson scores.
- Bottom of 2nd, 1 out — Antonio Andujar flies out in foul territory to left fielder K Thiele.
- Top of 3rd, 1 out — W Schultz doubles on a line drive to center fielder B James, J Aguilar scores.
- Top of 3rd, 2 out — K Looez doubles on a fly ball to right fielder Carter Pierson, K Thiele scores.
- Top of 4th, 2 out — J Aguilar singles on a pop fly to left fielder Jacob Ward.
- Top of 5th, 2 out — T Costales grounds out, shortstop Grady Emerson to first baseman Antonio Andujar.
- Bottom of 5th, 0 out — Grady Emerson triples on a line drive to right fielder N Rodriguez, Griffin Carney scores.