Baseball regional semifinals: Fort Worth Benbrook, Boswell drop game ones, more from area
The UIL high school baseball regional semifinals are here, and teams from the Fort Worth-area are playing to continue their postseason runs. Here is a roundup of games from the area.
Fort Worth Benbrook drops game one to Texarkana Liberty-Eylau
A combination of rain and lightning delayed the start of Game 1 of the 4A Region II semifinals by almost two hours.
When play began, Fort Worth Benbrook must have felt like the bad weather never stopped, as the Texarkana Liberty-Eylau Leopards pushed across 10 runs in the first two innings -- five in each -- as the Bobcats fell, 13-2, in a five-inning run-rule contest in the best-of-three series at Mike Carter Field.
The Leopards jumped on Benbrook starting pitcher Jax Stockton early, as three straight singles -- all to centerfield -- led a parade of 10 batters in the top of the first that gave Liberty-Eylau a 5-0 lead, with the last two runs unearned on a pair of consecutive errors by the pitcher.
Benbrook battled back in the home half of first, scoring two runs without a hit. Two walks and a pair of hit batsmen, coupled with a Sacrifice Fly gave the Bobcats some momentum.
The ray of hope was short-lived. Liberty-Eylau, pushed across five more runs, on just one hit, in the top of the second. Two walks, two hit batsmen, a botched fielder’s choice and another error led to just one of those runs being earned, as the Leopards again sent 10 batters to the plate.
Stockton, who threw 73 pitches in the first two innings, was lifted and Maverick Mills came out to start the third. Two more hit batsmen and another error produced two more Leopard runs without a hit.
Liberty-Eylau (28-8-1), the defending 4A state runner-up, added the final run on three hits in the top of the fourth.
Benbrook (30-7-1) managed just a pair of singles -- Fabian Ortega in the second and Santiago Cruz in the third -- in the game.
The Bobcats did chase Liberty-Eylau starter Tristan Haugh after one-third of an inning. However, Cami Gamble came on and hurled 3.2 shutout innings in relief to pick up the win, striking out four.
“We just could not get untracked,” said Benbrook Head Coach Justin Chavez. “Give credit to Liberty. They got it going. It just wasn’t our night.”
“We will put this one behind us. And come back tomorrow and try to force a game 3,” added Chavez.
Game 2 is Friday evening with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
If necessary, a decisive Game 3 will be at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon at the same locale.
Richardson Pearce secures game one win over Boswell
Richardson’s J.J. Pearce High School came from behind to secure a 10-5 victory over Boswell in game one of a best of three Regional Semifinal series at Boswell High School.
The two teams went back and forth offensively with at least one scoring in each of the first four innings, ending the fourth in a 5-5 tie.
Boswell had the help of Mason Bell, who scored Sawyer Farr twice; once with a single up the middle and again with a single to the left side of the infield that scored another run on a throwing error. Xander Thacker also hit a ball over the head of the Mustang center fielder, landing him on third base where he would score from on a passed ball.
Pearce’s starting pitcher AJ Ripley helped his own cause at the dish, scoring two on a double to left field that ended Boswell starting pitcher Chase Pockrus’s night.
The new pitcher, Kamdin Myers, was greeted with a single from Levi Rozenblum that plated one runner, but another came in after a throwing error on the catcher trying to keep Rozenblum from advancing to second.
After that, he settled in and threw two scoreless innings including two successful pickoff moves to catch the Mustangs napping.
“Kamdin went out there and did a good job keeping us in the ballgame,” said Boswell head coach Josh Stone. “Brody [Bradley] was one pitch away from getting us to the bottom half tied 5-5.”
That’s when the “seventh-inning Mustangs” struck.
Bradley started the top of the seventh inning with traffic on the basepaths.
The Mustangs hit consecutive singles by Vince Villegas and Nash Hornberger, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Nathan Berry attempted a safety squeeze, but Bradley fielded the bunt and tossed it to his catcher Ray Corona who applied the tag, cutting down the go-ahead run.
Bradley got the next Mustang up to strikeout and then put the next in a 3-2 count. He attempted a pickoff to first, but no one was covering, so his throw sailed into right field foul territory, scoring Hornberger as the go-ahead runner.
It’s a mistake that Boswell head coach Josh Stone said isn’t normal for his team, but that “baseball is going to baseball sometimes.”
“That’s part of the game,” said Stone. “We had a big cross up on a signal—a mental error and it just shows how momentum changes the game real quick right there.”
The Mustangs weren’t content with just the one. Sam Kinder walked and Natanael Melendez singled to right, plating two more runners and giving Pearce an 8-5 lead.
Pearce’s third baseman Tyler Sessions added a couple more insurance runs with a two-run home run that put the Mustangs up 10-5 in the final inning.
Jackson Thompson came in to relieve Ripley, who went five innings, and shut down the Boswell offense. In the sixth inning, he set the side down in order with a flyout, a popout and a swinging strikeout.
In the bottom of the seventh, he came out to close out the win for the Mustangs. He did so with a strikeout looking, a popout and a groundout. He earned the win with his two perfect innings of work.
“Not only did he throw two perfect innings, he saved other arms for us for the remainder of the series,” said Mustangs head coach Justin Roland. “I can’t say enough about Jackson–this is his fourth appearance in the playoffs and he’s just been lights out.”
The Mustangs have had plenty of success in the later innings, so another come-from-behind victory in the seventh wasn’t anything new.
“Six of our seven wins have been come-from-behind and five of them were in the last at-bat, so it’s something else,” said Roland. “Our guys aren’t scared of anything and no matter what happens in the first part of the game, they’re locked in and ready to go in crunch time.”
The Mustangs will host the Pioneers for game two of the series on Friday at 7:30 p.m. While J.J. Pearce will try to carry their momentum into game two, Boswell will be looking to turn the page and move on from a tough loss.
Keller takes game one from Flower Mound
Following a 7-5 record in District 4-6A, Keller has been on a roll. The Indians have been sweeping through the playoffs and are on a nine game win streak.
Keller’s starting pitcher, Chris Langley, had another quality outing, allowing one earned run in 4 1/3 innings of work to secure a 6-1 lead over Flower Mound (36-4), the defending Class 6A state champion. Keller took a two run lead in the second inning with a string of base hits from Jake Scheiden, Cole Koeninger and Landry Stamps.
Koeninger and Roberts provided Keller (27-11-1) insurance in the third inning with RBI singles. The Indian offense was held scoreless the rest of the way but had more than enough to seize the victory and snap Flower Mound’s 24 game win streak.
Results
Abilene Wylie (30-7) vs. Argyle (26-7-2)
G1: Argyle 12, Wylie 0 (5)
Brock (32-2) d. Lubbock Liberty (24-12)
G1: Brock 12, Liberty 2 (5) G2: Brock 19, Liberty 1 (5)
Boyd (34-4-1) vs. Big Sandy Harmony (28-7)
G1: Boyd 11, Harmony 1 (5)
Seminole (26-11) vs. Stephenville (27-10-1)
G1: Stephenville 5, Seminole 1
