KFDM COOP Posted May 6, 2008 Report Posted May 6, 2008 Tribe set for Seven Lakes series By Cody Pastorella The Port Arthur News Port Neches-Groves head coach Jay Stone says he isn't worried about his Indians being off with their first-round bye in the Class 4A baseball playoffs, but he is concerned about Katy Seven Lakes' ability to hit the ball. In preparation for the Indians second-round series with Seven Lakes, Stone said he scouted the Spartans on Saturday where they won back-to-back games over Santa Fe to advance. "They hit the ball extremely well," Stone said. "I was really impressed with their entire lineup. One through nine — they scattered 28 hits in two games." Led by pitcher Eric Harrington, PN-G will meet Seven Lakes tonight at 7 in New Caney. The series continues at New Caney High School on Friday for Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3. Game 2 is set to start at 5 p.m. In place of the first-round bye, PN-G played a warmup game with Bridge City on Friday. There was nothing at stake in that contest, but the Tribe did beat the No. 5 team in Class 3A by a score of 7-3. "Anytime you give your pitchers an opportunity to throw in live competition and anytime your hitters get to see live pitching, it's a good thing. That's always a plus and we feel there was a lot gained from that game," Stone said about facing BC. Seven Lakes, out of District 24-4A, dropped Game 1 of its first-round game with Santa Fe but rallied on Saturday for two wins. "They really jumped out ahead in both games and never looked back," Stone said, adding that the Spartans No. 1, 3 and 4 hitters were very impressive. "If they get an early lead, they are going to try to continue to put pressure on us. They will sacrifice people over and use hit and runs in various situations. That's the kind of team they are." The Tribe has a handful of capable hurlers but Harrington is the ace and will have the ball to start tonight. The senior is 7-0 this season with two saves and owns a jaw-dropping ERA of 0.67. Stone said his club will certainly need good pitching and great defense in order to prevail over the Spartans this week. "They are a very athletic team who will want to pressure us and will take advantage of any mistakes." Stone added that the teams originally wanted to meet on Thursday and Friday but PN-G's sports banquet takes place Thursday, forcing the Wednesday start. "That's not how we wanted to do it but I kind of like it better this way. It gives us a day in between to regroup and possibly give our pitchers some rest, especially if we end up using two or three guys in the first game." Leading the way offensively for the Tribe are Blake Reyenga and Kane Benoit. Reyenga is batting over .420 for the season while Benoit is sitting at .405. Harrington, meanwhile, is hitting a .368. "Hopefully, we will be the team that jumps out ahead and can apply the pressure on them," Stone said. Directions to New Caney High School: • Take FM 365 to Hwy. 90 • Take Hwy. 90 through Liberty and Dayton, then get on FM 1960 in Dayton • Stay on FM 1960 until you hit Hwy. 59 in Humble • Take Hwy 59 North. • Exit Community Drive • Take Community Drive to the left and cross over Hwy 59. • Stay on the feeder road until you come to Valley Ranch Subdivision. • The school and baseball/softball complexes are inside the subdivision
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