REGIONAL SEMIFINAL MINI RECAPS
Venus over Ft. Stockton, 11-3; 6-1
Venus was convincing in their regional semifinal win, outscoring Ft. Stockton 17-4 in 2 games for the sweep. In game one, the Bulldogs took control early with 6 runs in the first two innings to put the game out of reach early. Tanney Foy finished the evening 3-4 from the plate with 1 double, 1 base on balls, and 2 RBI’s. Tyler Foy was 2-3 with 1 double, 1 base on balls, and 3 runs driven in. In game 2, Venus was led by Kelby Storm on the mound. The sophomore pitched like a senior, going the distance and limiting Ft. Stockton to just 4 hits and 1 run. Storm also struck out 4 while only walking 2.
Abilene Wylie over Bushland, 4-1; 11-2
When you play this late in the season, you have to deal with things like graduation. This forced an unusual Wednesday/Saturday schedule, but it did not have any impact on the Bulldogs level of play. In game 1, you had a 1-1 tie heading to the 7th inning. That was until Wylie’s Jaxson Money stepped to plate, unleashing a 3-run triple to help give the Bulldogs the win. Wylie starter Hutton Frazier was solid while Conner Carlton came in and closed it out in the 7th. The Bulldogs offense exploded in game two, putting in 9 runs in the first 3 innings. Jaxon Money once again was big at the plate, going 2-4 with 3 RBI’s. Bryce Gist was 3-3 with 1 RBI and Payton Stokes was 2-2 with an RBI.
Pleasant Grove over Melissa, 11-3; 19-4
The Hawks are getting red hot as they traditionally do at this point in the season. Pleasant Grove scored a total of 30 runs in their two wins over a Melissa squad that was playing with a ton of confidence. These types of performances are not really new to the fans in Texarkana, as these offensive outbursts were routine during a stretch in district play. Pleasant Grove pounded out 16 hits in game one with Jarod Bayless claiming 4 of them to go along with 4 RBI’s. In game 2, that production was amped up another notch with 19 total runs on 18 hits. Hudson Hopkins (4 hits, 2 2Bs, 1 3B) and Mark Ashby (3 singles) combined for 7 of those hits.
Argyle over Van, 2-1; 5-1
Argyle never let Van get anything going in their regional semifinal matchup. The Eagles limited the Vandals to just 1 run in each of the two games of their series. Though the teams combined for 16 hits in game 1, it was a tight low scoring affair. Argyle claimed the lead in the 4th with a Hunter Markwardt single, scoring Aaron Cullen. Rixey Boyd got the walk off single in the 7th, bringing in Tanner Boyzuick. Boyd also pitched all 7 innings, giving 7 up hits and 1 run while striking out 6. In game 3, Argyle scored 1 run in the 3rd and 3 in the 4th to create separation. Connor Mushinski struck out 8 and gave up just 1 run in his 7 innings of work.
Huffman Hargrave over Center, 3-1; 13-4
Coming into this series something was going to have to give. Both teams had combined for a 47-7-1 record and had been on top of their games the last several weeks. In game one, we got a low scoring tight contest. It did not appear like it would end up like that, as Huffman scored their 3 runs of the game in the very first inning. Cody Stone, Justin Waltmon, and James Tutor were responsible for the RBI’s. That was more than enough for Jake Harrison, giving up just 5 hits and 1 run in his 7 innings on the mound. In game two, it was an overall teams effort as Huffman coasted in punching their ticket to the regional finals.
West Orange-Stark over Carthage, 0-9; 7-4; 4-0
West Orange-Stark had to overcome adversity. After dropping game 1 9-0, the Mustangs were able to re-gain their composure to take 2 straight from the Carthage Bulldogs to advance into the regional finals. This was nothing new to WO-S, as just last week they accomplished the same feat by winning back-to-back games against Bellville to move on. In game 2, Carthage held a 3-0 advantage but the Mustangs outscored the Bulldogs 11-1 the rest of the series. Coach Shea Landry credits his team saying they showed “a lot of character the past 2 weeks”. Grant Anderson, Payton Robertson, and Grant Lapoint-Teate all played a big role in the series win.
El Campo over Sinton, 1-0; 5-4
It was a two game sweep, but it was tight as both games were decided by just one run. Pitching and defense seems to take over at this point of the season, and in game 1 we had plenty of that. Chad Quinn, the El Campo starter, was brilliant in his 7 innings of work. The senior gave up just 3 hits and no runs while striking out 6 Pirates batters. Blaine Fuechec got the RBI single way back in the first to create the only separation needed. Game two saw more offense. Sinton had the 4-3 lead heading to the 6th, but a Bryce Brandle single in the frame tied the game up. In the 8th inning it was Andrew Saucedo that would score on a passed ball.
Hidalgo over Brazosport, 2-0; 13-7
In this regional semifinal series, Hidalgo showed that they can win a tight, lower scoring contest while also winning a game with the bats. In game 1, the Pirates got 2 runs in the 2nd frame, and that was all that Oscar Noguera would need on this night. The senior never let the Exporters get any type of offense going with no runs and 6 K’s in his 7 innings on the hill. Adrian Ruiz was 2-3 with 1 RBI in the contest. In game two, the Pirates broke open the game with a 9-spot. Michael Alvarez led the charge, going 5-5 from the plate with 2 2B’s and 2 RBI’s. Ruiz had a big blow with a 3-run home run in the 5th.
