Vaughan, Bears slug past Pirates, 4-3

[Bobcatfan4life]

Vaughan, Bears slug past Pirates, 4-3

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

LITTLE CYPRESS — Little Cypress-Mauriceville coach Steve Griffith has been around a while.

He told Hunter Gonzalez he had never seen a catch like the one Monday night at Don Gibbens Field to preserve a 4-3 LC-M win over the Vidor Pirates.

The Bears (13-9, 4-1) were up 4-2 in the top of the seventh with runners on second and first with Vidor second baseman Jessie Griffin at the plate.

Griffin smacked a ball into center which sent Gonzalez running.

Gonzalez leaped into the air and had to put his glove behind his body to make the catch.

LC-M would give up a run in the top of the seventh to make the final 4-3 score yet if not for the Gonzalez catch, the game could have been tied in a hurry.

Instead two Bears’ homers and a Vidor (9-5, 3-2) wild pitch proved to be the difference offensivly in the game.

The biggest hit came from the smallest Bear on the field as second baseman Scott Vaughan hit his first varsity homer in the bottom of the second, a two-run shot to left center.

“It was a good feeling,†Vaughan said. “After it I got hyper and got the butterflies going. I was just glad I was able to hellp the team tonight. District 20-4A is tough. We try to go at every team as hard as we can each night. It is such a tough district.â€

Vidor starting pitcher Chaz Bruce did a nice job on the mound throwing a complete game. Bruce, who also hit a home run, went all six innings and gave up six hits with four walks and seven strike outs.

Dallas Brown got the start on the hill for LC-M. He struck out four batters with three walks and six hits in 3 2/3 innigns.

Shane Waddell picked up the win for the Bears. Waddell went 3 1/3 innings giving up one run on three hits with two walks and five strike outs.

“These days nobody is head over heels better than any other team,†Griffith said. “We had a nice battle here again today. Their pitcher threw well and our two pitchers both threw well. It was a pretty dang good high school baseball game.â€

The game was 0-0 heading into the bottom of the second when LC-M’s Tayler Thompson led off with a walk.

Two batters later Vaughan took the first pitch he saw from Bruce over the fence.

“When it is 0-0 in a big district game and your No. 8 hitter hits a homer, it’s huge,†Griffith said of Vaughan’s bomb. “Scott loves the game of baseball and that is why he is on the field.â€

The LC-M lead did not last long.

The Pirates picked up a run when Bruce led off the top of the third with a massive home run to left field to make it 2-1 Bears.

Chad Sims singled with two outs and Trae Hester pushed Sims to second with a single to right field.

Sims came in to score to make it 2-2 when Hunter Hagler hit a RBI single to center.

The game remained tied until Brown came up to bat with one down in the bottom of the fourth.

Brown took a 0-1 pitch from Bruce deep past the center field fence for a solo homer to make it 3-2 Bears.

LC-M picked up its last run in the bottom of the fifth when Matt Johnson led off by advancing all the way to second on a Vidor error.

Johnson moved to third when Thompson laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and later came in to score on a wild pitch to make it 4-2.

Vidor tried to rally in the top of the seventh when Hester, who had walked, came in to score when his brother Michael Hester hit a RBI single to right.

Tim Barry continued to be hot at the plate for the Bears going 3-for-4 while Stefan Cloeren continued to be plunked. Cloeren, who was 1-for-2 in the game, was hit by a pitch for the seventh time this season.

The Bears will hit the road Friday to face Lumberton while Vidor is at home to face Nederland.