BC geared up for No. 1 Carthage

[KFDM COOP]

BC geared up for No. 1 Carthage

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

BRIDGE CITY — Ever since the Class 3A Region III playoff bracket was released, Bridge City Cardinal fans have had their eyes on one round.

This week’s regional semi-finals against the Carthage Bulldogs.

Game 1 is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday at Woodville High School. Game 2 will be at noon Saturday at Lufkin’s Morris Frank Park with Game 3, if necessary, to follow 30 minutes after Game 2.

The Cardinals (25-6-1) will be looking to do something no other team has done so far this season, beat the 28-0 Bulldogs.

The two teams are not strangers from playing each other in the playoffs.

In 2005, the two squads met up in the Class 3A state semi-finals with Carthage, 35-4 up to that point, beating Bridge City, who was 35-6, 5-2 before downing Lubbock Cooper 6-1 to win the state championship.

Last season Carthage went out in the regional quarterfinals to Liberty-Eylau while Bridge City once again marched to the state tournament where they were downed by Liberty-Eylau 7-3. Liberty-Eylau would eventually won the state championship 2-1 over Falfurrias.

So both teams have the experience, now it is time for the two teams to once again meet up with the right to advance on the line.

The winner will face the Jasper-Lufkin Hudson winner next week in the regional finals.

“It is a great opportunity that few kids get to play at this point in the season,†Bridge City Coach Billy Bryant said. “We are down to 16 teams now. The challenge to play against a team as good as Carthage is a tough one. To be the best, you have to beat the best.â€

Carthage’s No. 1 state ranking has been backed up by the Bulldogs with some impressive scores this season.

The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 298-41, an average of 10.6 runs a game to 1.4 runs given up.

Carthage won against Pine Tree 3-1 in a playoff warm-up game and then downed Cameron Yoe 11-1 in the area round and then beat Taylor 10-0 in the regional quarterfinals.

The road has been a lot tougher for the Cardinals who have been in several battles this season.

Bridge City first took out Splendora 6-0 in the bi-district round; they downed Wharton in the area round 4-0, 3-5 and 9-2 and just this past weekend ousted Needville in the regional quarterfinals 3-4, 8-5 and 6-3.â€

“We are not going to change what we do best just because they are undefeated,†Bryant said. “You have to stay true to yourself. We are going to do everything we have ever done but try to do it even better. Whatever the results may be we will live with it.

“I told our pitchers to be aggressive and to not pitch scared. We are going to also be aggressive on the basepads. That is just they way we are going to play.â€

The way Carthage Coach Shawn Schumacher, a first-year coach, looks at it, the Bulldogs are no longer just 28-0 because more importantly they are 2-0 in the playoffs.

“Our kids have done everything that has been asked of them,†Schumacher said. “We are looking forward to this weekend. Region III is a very tough region. You have District 18 with Hutto, Taylor and Cameron Yoe. Hutto was picked to win the region at the beginning of the year.

“Then there is District 21 with Bridge City, Jasper, Silsbee and Hardin-Jefferson. Our district has also been tough with Lufkin Hudson also still playing. We knew at the start of the year this region would be tough and Bridge City is certainly one of the teams at the top of it.â€

Bridge City will start off with pitchers Jeff Stringer, Phillip Meeks and possibly freshman Matt Hicks who did not go against Needville because of an ailing back injury. In his place was junior Jason Clark who hurled 5 1/3 innings in the series-clinching victory.

The Cardinals also have the offense to back up the pitching staff with guys like Johnny Dishon, Troy Bolton, Casey Jackson, Daniel Willey and Joe Robertson.

Significant role players like Chase Warner, Jaden Dillon, Garrett Delano and Anthony Cessac will play key roles in the series.

“At this point in the season it cannot be one or two players that carry the load,†Bryant said. “We have to have contributions from a lot of people and we have been getting that so far. All the kids know they can do it when they get the opportunity. It is a nice feeling to watch some of these guys come through in the clutch. You find on good teams that players are energized by another player’s success. That is what leads to confidence and I think we are playing confident baseball right now.â€

The underdog role is also something that does not frighten Bryant.

“There have been many cases in sports where the underdog goes home with the victory,†Bryant added. “People can analyze this thing to death but the players will decide it on the field. Two years ago Lufkin Hudson was the favorite and we accepted the challenge and beat them.â€

Bryant was referring to 2005 when the Cardinals downed Hudson 3-2, 7-10, 10-5 in the regional finals to reach the state tournament.

“We know Bridge City has good pitching and good team speed,†Schumacher said. “We watched their last three games and they played good defense as well. That is a deadly combination.â€

Schumacher took over the Carthage job after Scott Lee left the Bulldogs after over 20 years of service and 500 wins and two state championships. Lee’s son graduated in 2006 and he is now the transportation director with Carthage Independent School District.

Schumacher played for Lee in the early to mid-1990’s before going to the University of Texas and transferring to Texas A&M as a catcher.

The Bulldogs are led by the likes of Khris Tate who is batting .405 with nine home runs and 34 RBI. Tate also has a ERA around 0.53.

Jonathon Baker is also a standout for Carthage with a .425 batting average with four homers and a 1.47 ERA.

David Rollins is Carthage’s other impressive pitcher with a 0.81 ERA and he also leads the team in strike outs.

“To be in the fourth round and playing the No. 1 team in the state, you always want to be in this position,†Bryant said. “It has been a tough battled to get where we are at. That makes it so gratifying. I cannot remember a single win that came easy. To make it through all that is a real good reward for these kids.â€

Schumacher is also more than excited to play against the Cardinals, a team that has reached the state tournament two years in a row.

“Our kids are very pumped to play this series,†Schumacher said. “Bridge City is used to win and our team is used to winning. All this is going to make for some good baseball.â€