By Michael Sudhalter
Special to The News
 
ROUND ROCK — Brandon Morse isn’t committed to a college baseball program at press time. But after Saturday’s stellar performance, that could change quickly.
 
The Port Neches-Groves senior earned UIL Class 5A tournament MVP honors after throwing a complete game, four-hitter in a 4-2 victory over Grapevine in the 5A state championship game on Saturday afternoon at Dell Diamond.
 
PNG (34-8-2) earned its first baseball state championship in school history after returning to the state title game for the first time in 17 years, and second time overall.
 
“Brandon Morse was outstanding,” PNG head baseball coach Scott Carter said. “We gave him run support. He’s been a control guy all year.”
 
Morse threw 84 pitches, allowing just two walks in seven innings.
 
“I was hitting my spots and the defense was really good behind me,” Morse said. “There are really no words to describe this state championship.”
 
Morse was so effective that the Mustangs left only four runners on base.
Grapevine seriously challenged the Indians in the top of the fifth inning when they loaded the bases.
 
PNG — leading 4-1 at the time — came out of it relatively unscathed, with the Mustangs scoring just one run (GHS senior London Carter scored on a fielder’s choice).”
 
Senior Nathan Vidrine, who started at shortstop for the Indians on Saturday, warmed up on the sideline and was ready to go if called upon.
 
Vidrine, the winning pitcher in Thursday’s 3-2 semifinal win over Frisco Wakeland, spoke to Morse during the top of the fifth.
 
“Vidrine calmed me down and said ‘just throw strikes’,” Morse said.
 
Morse has proven to be very resilient. After a Game 1 loss in the Region III semifinals against Tomball, he came back to throw a shutout in Game 1 of the regional championship against Brenham.
 
For many years, Morse was known as the younger brother of former PNG star athlete Adam Morse, who started at quarterback for Lamar’s football team last season.
 
Perhaps now people will start calling Adam, Brandon Morse’s older brother.