BC VS. TEXARKANA LIBERTY-EYLAU, WED, 4 P.M.

[leaderstatdog]

Pairings just released by UIL:

2006 UIL State Baseball Tournament

June 7-8 Disch-Falk Field, University of Texas at Austin

June 7-10 Dell Diamond, Round Rock

Wednesday, June 7

Disch-Falk Field, University of Texas at Austin

4A SEMIFINALS

12 noon Fort Worth Arlington Heights (36-3) vs. McKinney North (28-8 )

3 p.m. New Braunfels (29-5) vs. Channelview (32-7)

Dell Diamond, Round Rock

2A SEMIFINALS

10 a.m. Brock (32-1) vs. Rogers (31-6-1)

1 p.m. Hughes Springs (34-0) vs. Holliday (21-6)

3A SEMIFINALS

4 p.m. Bridge City (33-5) vs. Texarkana Liberty Eylau (24-14)

7 p.m. Falfurrias (28-6) vs. Abilene Wylie (27-8 )

Thursday, June 8

Disch-Falk Field, University of Texas at Austin

4A FINAL 12 noon

Dell Diamond, Round Rock

2A FINAL 2 p.m.

3A FINAL 6 p.m.

Friday, June 9

Dell Diamond, Round Rock

1A SEMIFINALS

10 a.m. Thorndale (28-5) vs. Anderson-Shiro (26-6)

1 p.m. Gilmer Union Hill (25-3) vs. New Deal (21-5)

5A SEMIFINALS

4 p.m. Corpus Christi Moody (32-7) vs. Katy (36-8-1)

7 p.m. Conroe The Woodlands (36-1) vs. Midland (32-9)

Saturday, June 10

Dell Diamond, Round Rock

1A FINAL 12 noon

5A FINAL 4 p.m.

[leaderstatdog]

Leopards heading to state tournament after 6-3 victory

Saturday, June 3, 2006 3:33 PM CDT

By LOUIE AVERY

Texarkana Gazette

MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas—Rick Fowler couldn’t have dreamed of a better scenario for his first trip to the Class 3A state tournament.

Fowler’s 16-year-old son Zach was the winning pitcher and drove home two runs in helping Liberty-Eylau defeat third-ranked Lindale, 6-3, to earn the school’s first trip to state.

Reliever Cory Wells survived a scarey seventh inning as the Eagles loaded the bases with one out. One run scored on a single by Justin Valdez, but Wells got the next two on grounders to end the game.

L-E (26-14) never trailed after scoring three runs in the first inning.

Lindale starter Drew Cole (10-3) got into trouble early when two walks and singles by Cory Wells and Jarrod McFee got the Leopards on top 3-0.

That lead became 4-0 in the third when Keith Allen walked, stole second and continued to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Allen scored when Fowler lined a single to left.

Fowler retired the Eagles easily during the first two innings, but ran into trouble in the third. Mitch Baker singled to left to start the frame and Nevin Rhea walked. Fowler got the next two batters, but yielded a run-scoring single to Carson Middleton.

Fowler was also in trouble in the fourth when he loaded the bases and went to a 3-0 count on Rhea. The lanky southpaw rallied with three straight strikes for his fourth strikeout, and got Jacob Cates on a long fly to center. Ryan Merrell’s double over Allen’s head in left to

start the fifth, spelling Fowler’s exit and bringing Wells to the mound.

Allen got Middleton on a fly to right and struck out the next batter, but Aaron Neely bounced an 0-1 offering into left to make it 4-2. Travis Rhea reached on an infield error, but Justin Valdez grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Allen got Middleton on a fly to right and struck out the next batter, but Aaron Neely bounced an 0-1 offering into left to make it 4-2. Travis Rhea reached on an infield error, but Justin Valdez grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Valdez replaced Cole in the sixth after the Eagles’ husky right-hander was struck by a liner off the bat of Clay Jeffirs. The ball bounced into foul territory down the first base line and Jeffirs was thrown out at first by catcher Jacob Cates.

Middlebrooks walked for the third time to start the Leopards’ seventh, and Allen followed with a bunt single trying to sacrifice. Both runners moved up on Fowler’s sacrifice, and two pitches later Middlebrooks scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-2. McFee then lined a pitch off Valdez that bounced into left to score Allen and make it 6-2.

Leopard fans swarmed the field after the third out in the seventh.

It was an emotional ending for the Eagles, who had attended the funeral of former teammate Tim Brey earlier in the day.

Liberty-Eylau 301 000 2 — 6 8 2

Lindale 001 010 1 — 3 10 2

Zach Fowler, Cory Wells (5) and Clay Jeffirs; Drew Cole, Justin Valdez (6) and Jacob Cates. WP-Fowler (5-1); LP-Cole (10-3).