By ERIC VICCARO
bnewssports@sbcglobal.net

For the Nocona High School baseball team, earning a victory in the District 3A-9 opener was the just desserts.
The Indians used a station-to-station style and Jaxon Phipps pitched well enough as Nocona defeated homestanding Henrietta 9-6 on Tuesday.
“It’s a good win for us,” Nocona second-year head coach Brent Lewis said. “I told the kids to have tunnel vision and focus just on this game. I’m proud of the kids.”
Nocona stood at 5-3 overall, 1-0 in 3A-9, before Friday’s game versus Boyd, which was played at Henrietta due to poor field conditions in Nocona.
Nocona battled through self-inflicted adversity, too. The Indians won despite committed five errors which helped keep Henrietta close.
“I know we made some mistakes,” Lewis said. “They punched us, and we punched them. But, as the kids have learned, if they make an error, they can’t dwell on them.”
Phipps battled through to earn a complete-game victory.
Lewis had faith and left Phipps out on the bump to finish the job, and Jaxon did. Phipps allowed only one earned run on four hits. He struck out 10 and recorded 18 first-pitch strikes in 30 official Henrietta at-bats. Read more, and see the complete box score, in the weekend Bowie News.

Nocona’s Zach Trentham makes contact for one of 15 Indians’ singles during Tuesday’s District 3A-9 baseball game at Henrietta. Nocona won 9-6. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)