Bobcats, Cards stroll to area-round playoff wins

[adminbaberuth]

Gabriel Pruett
Orange Leader

NACOGDOCHES — NACOGDOCHES - Both the District 21-3A champion Orangefield Bobcats and the 21-3A runnerup Bridge Cardinals picked up impressive Class 3A Region III area round playoff wins Saturday at Nacogdoches High School.

The Bobcats roped Bryan Rudder while the Cardinals strapped Taylor 4-1.

OF 6, RUDDER 1

It was not the normal pound-em out Orangefield Bobcats performance Saturday afternoon at Nacogdoches High School against the Bryan Rudder Rangers.

Instead the No. 4 Bobcats outlasted the Rangers 6-1 in the Class 3A Region III Area Round playoffs.

The game was slated to be played at Baseball USA in Houston yet heavy rain forced coaches to scramble.

Orange field (25-2) will now face 21-3A rival West Orange-Stark next week in the regional quarterfinals.

Senior Jace Statum got the win against Rudder (22-7) with a complete game as he gave up eight hits while strike out 10 Rangers. He walked two batters.

Orangefield struck for two runs in the top of the first as Statum led off with a single and eventually took third on a wild pitch.

Jacob Felts and Chase Angelle both walked with one out before Quinton Evans hit a two-run single to right.

The Bobcats struck for two more runs in the top of the second.

Josh Watson, who singled to left, scored on a Rudder error to make it 3-0.

Derrick Evans, who scrambled all the way to third on the error, scored when Statum had a RBI groundout to second to make it 4-0 Bobcats.

Rudder scored its lone run in the bottom of the fourth as Tim Deahl had a RBI sacrifice fly to score Austin Barone.

Quinton Evans scored in the top of the sixth off a Rudder error. Evans walked to lead off the sixth and took second on a stolen base.

Statum scored the Bobcats last run of the game in the top of the seventh after reaching on a one-out infield single.

Statum’s speed allowed him to score all the way from first on a Rudder error.

Will Johnson started for the Rangers and went four innings and gave up three hits and three walks. He struck out two batters and allowed four runs.

Statum was 2-for-4 in the game to be the lone Bobcat with multiple hits.

Orangefield defeated WO-S both times this season, the first contest was close with Bobcats winning 4-3.



BC 4, TAYLOR 1

The Bridge City Cardinals spent about nine hours on a bus over two days and coach Chad Landry made about 100 phone calls.

It only took one call to put Matt Hicks on the mound Saturday against the Taylor Ducks and about 30 minutes to realize the Cardinals would be victorious in the Class 3A Region III Area Round playoffs.

Hicks struck out 10 batters as the Cardinals advanced with a 4-1 win to face either Huffman or Navasota next week in the regional quarterfinals.

Of the first nine Taylor outs, seven were strike outs by Hicks.

The Cardinals (23-5-1) offense put up three runs in the first two innings to all but insure Taylor (20-8) would end its season at Nacogdoches High School.

“I felt great today,” Hicks said. “We all knew we had to show up since it was a one-game series. I was able to do what I had to do to get the win. A lot of a baseball game rides on the pitcher so I always want to go out and throw strikes to let my defense make plays behind me.”

Bridge City put up two runs in the top of the first as Zach Smith reached with one out on an error and Hicks then followed with a single to right.

Mitchell Hubbard then smacked a two-run triple to score both runners as BC took a 2-0 lead.

Luke Rhodes led the top of the second off with a double and three batters later Joe Robertson hit a sacrifice fly ball to right to score Rhodes and make it 3-0.

Robertson had another RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth to score Cameron Dishon who roped a one-out triple to center.

The 4-0 lead would be too much for the Ducks to overcome.

Hicks made possibly the play of his career in the bottom of the fifth.

Sam Jirasek laid down a bunt down the third baseline. Hicks ran and slid to grab the ball, while still sliding towards the third baseline, Hicks threw to first baseman Evan Boren for the out.

“I would hope I could do that again but I am not sure,” Hicks said. “I just remember sliding and seeing Evan and throwing his direction.”

Taylor scored its lone run in the top of the sixth as Jacob San Miguel reached on an error and came in to score when Cody Alderete hit a sacrifice fly.

Hicks only needed 86 pitches to secure the win as the Ducks got only four hits.

“We knew Taylor would be a scrappy team,” Landry said. “Matt did a great job tonight and it was great of us to put up a crooked number so quickly. We play for a run an inning. We feel we get that with Matt on the mound, we should win the game. We still have a lot to work on. We left too many guys on base tonight.”

The Cardinals stranded seven runners on base.


http://orangeleader.com/hssports/x1414102564/Bobcats-Cards-stroll-to-area-round-playoff-wins

[Critter]

Great wins for our local teams and good luck this week.