KFDM COOP Posted May 19, 2009 Report Posted May 19, 2009 Battle of the Bayou BC, OF face-to-face in regional quarterfinals Gabriel Pruett The Orange Leader So everyone knows what the series will look like between Orangefield and Bridge City, now it is a matter of where. The Bobcats (22-9) and Cardinals (23-4-1) will meet in a three-game series starting at 5 p.m. Friday for Game 1 with Game 2 to follow shortly after the first game’s completion. Game 3, if necessary, will be played at 7 p.m. Saturday. The field where the two teams will meet has not been decided yet. This will be the third meeting of the two District 21-3A rivals. The Cardinals won both games in the district schedule, 4-2 in Orangefield and 9-1 in Bridge City. Orangefield will probably have to deal with a familiar foe in Game 1 in Bridge City ace Matt Hicks. Hicks (12-2) has hurled 70 2/3 innings this season with a 1.39 ERA to go with 117 strike outs and 15 walks. Hicks threw a five-hitter Monday night in a 13-3 victory over Cameron Yoe and he struck out 10 batters. Hicks will be working against a very potent Orangefield batting order. The Bobcats are hitting .349 on the year with 240 runs and 15 RBI. Jacob Felts is having a monster junior season with six homers, 37 RBI, 13 doubles, 46 hits and .489 batting average. Jace Statum is not far behind with a .463 batting average with 46 runs, 44 hits, 24 RBI, 12 doubles, four triples and three homers. Zach Peevey, the lone senior on Orangefield’s roster, is batting .368 with 29 RBI while Quinton Evans is hitting .345 with 24 RBI. To show how well Orangefield hits the ball, Derrick Evans is normally in the No. 9 hole and he hits .325 with 22 RBI, seven doubles, three triples and two homers. The Bobcats as a team get on base 45-percent of the time. Orangefield faces a Bridge City team which is sporting a 2.39 team ERA. Cardinals pitchers have struck out 223 batters with only 74 walks and six homers given up. Caleb Kellogg could be a possible starter in one of the three games. Kellogg has worked 16 innings for Bridge City and has a 3.50 ERA with 27 strike outs while Daniel Wallace has a 2.73 ERA in 25 2/3 innings with 26 strike outs. Forrest Zoch is carrying a 3.36 ERA in 25 innings with 27 strike outs. While it is the Orangefield offense which is more known for scoring runs, the Cardinals are actually not that far behind. Bridge City has scored 214 runs and has a .317 team batting average. Anthony Cessac, who was 4-for-4 against Cameron Yoe with three doubles, is hitting a team-high .425 with 15 RBI and six doubles. Grant Encalade is hitting .405 with 17 RBI and four doubles. Luke Rhodes and Hicks each have 19 RBI to tie for the team lead while Blake Hubbard has 16 on the season. Facing the Bridge City offense will be a Orangefield pitching staff with a team ERA of 2.70. Bobcats pitchers have struck out 196 batters. Felts has a 0.97 ERA in 43 1/3 innings and has struck out 46 batters. Brock Whitson has had a solid season with a 2.06 ERA in 54 1/3 innings. Whitson has struck out 44 batters. Statums has been getting back to form after an arm injury. Statum has a 2.31 ERA in 39 1/3 innings while striking out a team-high 54 batters. Chase Angelle and Zach Peevey could also see time on the hill for Orangefield in the series. The winner of this series will move on to the regional semi-finals. Robinson is waiting to find out who they play between Mexia and Spring Hill in the regional quarterfinals.
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