By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor

With the District 25-5A title already secured and the playoffs still two weeks away, motivation would appear as a primary concern for the Chaps.

But not when Austin High pays a visit to Woerner Field.

The Chaps (18-11 overall, 12-1 in district) flexed their muscles at the plate while dealing a blow to their bitter rivals’ playoff hopes with a 7-2 win Friday. Westlake’s offense produced two home runs, two doubles, a pair of stolen bases and absolutely zero concern about the Maroons’ playoff plight.

“It felt awesome to get a win like this,” Westlake outfielder Michael Todd said. “They’re our biggest rival, so we wanted to come out and shove it in their face. We wouldn’t want to see them make it to the playoffs.”

Todd said those words with a smile on his face, but they still rang true.

“It’s Austin High,” Westlake skipper Jim Darilek said. “We ought to be ready to play.”

The Maroons (14-14, 9-5), who enter Friday’s regular-season finale against Anderson tied with Connally for the district’s fourth and final playoff spot, proved plenty ready to play by scoring a run on three hits in their first at-bat against Chap starter Holt McNair.

It didn’t take long – two pitches by Austin High starter Mackenzie Jacobs, to be exact – for Westlake to answer. Chap third baseman Chris Knight led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run that bounced off the top of the left-field wall. Stephen Koenig, Adam Seitzman and Chandler Geller all followed with hits as the Chaps feasted on Jacob’s early pitches. The singles by Seitzman and Koenig came on first pitches, and a 2-RBI double down the third-base line by Geller came on a second-pitch fastball.

“It was huge to answer that run,” Darilek said. “That was the key to the game.”

Todd capped Westlake’s six-run frame with a three-run home run that cleared the right-center wall and sent Jacobs to the dugout. The dinger marked the third home run in the past three district games for Todd, who leads the team with five homers on the season.

According to Todd, his recent power surge reflects on his early-season work in the batting cage.

“At the beginning of the season, I worked on my mechanics a lot,” he said. “I kept adjusting my swing until it felt right.

“Now, I’m just trying to hit it as hard as I can. It’s like I’m back in the fourth grade, and my dad’s throwing me pitches.”

Despite the five-run lead, memories of the season’s first matchup with Austin High prevented Darilek from getting too comfortable. In that game, the Maroons almost rallied from a seven-run deficit in the second inning before falling a run short.

A sixth-inning Maroon run that cut Westlake’s lead to 6-2 stirred up some anxiety for Darilek and the Chaps.

“I don’t know if the guys were thinking about that, but I sure was,” Darilek said. “But I told them after that inning, ‘Hey, they scored a run. We have to answer.’ And we did.”

Todd led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a walk and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Collin Shaw. Will Harris then delivered a two-out RBI single from the No. 9 hole.

“That took any wind left out of them,” Darilek said.

McNair earned the complete-game win after allowing eight hits without a walk. Seitzman and Harris each had two hits for an aggressive Chap offense that spent a lot of time moving between the bags. Westlake stole two bases, and three Chaps were caught stealing.

“I was pushing it on the base paths,” Darilek said. “We’ve run a lot this year, but I want to keep practicing it. We have a week off, which I don’t like, and I don’t want to get rusty.”

The Chaps didn’t play Tuesday because of TAKS testing and face last-place Akins in Friday’s regular-season finale.

“We’re trying to get better in every practice and every game so we can perform in the playoffs,” Darilek said. “The playoffs are what it’s all about.”