Fort Worth Christian hosted Midland Christian for its first district homestand of the 2026 season.
Friday
The Cardinals’ bats were silent through the first two innings, despite putting three runners on base. The third inning proved more fruitful, however. After consecutive one-out walks, Braylen James hit a double to center field, scoring Griffin Carney and tying the game at 1-1.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth. Griffin Carney reached second on a single and advanced on a balk. Grady Emerson then singled through the middle infield, scoring Carney and giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. Two batters later, Jaxon Casselberry hit a fly ball to center field, deep enough to score Emerson from third base.
Pitching
Gregory Smeds starred on the mound Friday night, pitching 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball to earn his fourth win of the season. Smeds allowed three hits, two walks and struck out five. He threw a season-high 88 pitches, 61 for strikes. The left-hander now owns a 0.90 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .125 average this season.
Ben Rodriguez and Blayne MacDonald would come out of the bullpen tossing a perfect 1 1/3 inning, sealing the Cardinals victory Friday night.
Saturday
Saturday’s game proved more eventful, as the Cardinals’ offense started early and scored often.
In the bottom of the first inning, Carney was hit by the first pitch. Grady Emerson then hit a 3-1 pitch for a two-run, opposite-field home run, giving the Cardinals an early 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals’ offense broke the game open in the bottom of the third inning. With two runners on and one out, Jaxon Casselberry singled up the middle for Fort Worth Christian’s third run. Jake Parkerson followed with an RBI single, and Blayne MacDonald hit a sacrifice fly in the next at-bat. With the bases loaded, Andrew Ridgell singled, Jacob Ward walked, and Griffin Carney singled, each driving in a run to cap a seven-run inning for Fort Worth Christian.
Midland took advantage of some wild Fort Worth Christian pitching and scored three runs.
However, the Cardinals added three more runs when Casselberry and MacDonald drew walks, setting up three consecutive singles that brought in three more runs, extending their lead to 12-3.
With the bases loaded in the sixth inning, Grady Emerson hit a walk-off single, making the score 13-3 and invoking the run-rule, completing a weekend sweep for the Cardinals.
Thoughts and analysis
The Cardinals pitching staff continues to hold opponents to low scores, even when struggling with control for an inning or two. The offense has proven to be among the best when clicking, so the focus now is on consistent performance from both pitching and hitting.
Gregory Smeds has emerged as a key player, delivering strong performances through his first five starts. He continues to learn more about himself and the art of pitching each time he takes the mound for the Cardinals, aiming to lead the staff through districts and beyond. Coach Greer’s decision to allow the lefty to throw 88 pitches in a game indicates trust in the ace to pitch deep into games as he builds his pitch count.
The Cardinals remain aggressive, having stolen 79 bases through just 20 games this season and showing no signs of slowing. The team also prioritizes quality at-bats, achieving a team percentage of 54.42 in this area, which has caused problems for opposing pitchers and forced them to use their bullpens early.
The Cardinals are scheduled to face Southwest Christian, with Gregory Smeds slated to start again Thursday.
Photo via Tyler Rix FWC Baseball
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