Sherman’s late rally ends with Ford’s winning hit against Abilene

The Sherman Shadowcats overcame a five-run deficit to defeat the Abilene Flying Bison 9–8 in Sherman, Texas, finishing the comeback with a ninth-inning single, according to the club’s recap dated June 20, 2024. The home victory came against an Abilene team whose season record was substantially better than Sherman’s, the recap shows.

With every base occupied, Easton Ford singled to bring home the tying and winning runs, according to Sherman’s account. His hit ended a rally that stretched across the Shadowcats’ final two innings.

The club reported that Sherman was still five runs behind in the eighth. From that point through Ford’s final at-bat, the Shadowcats scored seven times to turn the deficit into a victory.

The figures in Sherman’s official recap show the comeback and where the teams stood afterward:

| Game measure | Recorded result |

| --- | --- |

| Score with Sherman trailing in the eighth | Abilene 7, Sherman 2 |

| Sherman runs over its final two innings | 7 |

| Final score | Sherman 9, Abilene 8 |

| Sherman’s record afterward | 8–11 |

| Abilene’s record afterward | 17–7 |

The available primary records do not verify the separately claimed 11–10 Sherman victory. The documented comeback and walk-off belong to the game described above.

That matchup took place during the Mid-America League’s first season. Sherman’s description of the original league listed Sherman and Abilene among its members, along with clubs representing Fort Smith, Joplin, White Oak and Texarkana. The planned schedule gave each team an equal allotment of home and road games.

The league’s original structure also brought players into local households. According to Sherman’s league description, host families housed players during the season, while a league-wide name, image and likeness program offered opportunities to earn income.

Eligibility extended across college baseball levels. The same description allowed selected players who had used up their college eligibility to participate while keeping their amateur status.

The teams later changed leagues. The Texas Collegiate League’s expansion announcement set June 2026 as the start of play for Sherman and Abilene under that affiliation.

In its announcement explaining the move, Abilene said a shorter schedule would reduce the time players needed to commit and was expected to help maintain a more stable roster. The organization also reported that former Texas Collegiate League players had been drafted by Major League Baseball clubs and had reached the majors.