Friday, May. 09, 2008
Playoffs in full swing
By BRIAN HERNALSTEEN
News-Mirror Writer
Abilene 5, Mansfield 2: The bi-district matchup on May 2 was a tight contest from the start, as the two teams battled for control in a tight-knit contest.
Mansfield got off to a good start, scoring two runs in the second inning to get the ball rolling. Daniel Green had an RBI, batting in John McCleery. Later in the stanza, Matt Guinn hit into a double play, but managed to drive in Michael Miller.
Will Lane was on the bump for the Tigers, and was stellar throughout.
Abilene managed to tie the game at two in the fifth inning on a passed ball. Lane would recover and get the three outs to end the inning, and with the score tied, Mansfield’s bats had to take over and push them over the hump.
The best chance for the Tigers to break the game open came in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Abilene’s Tyler Hale was very impressive on the mound, striking out two Mansfield batters to get out of the jam and give the Eagles a chance.
Abilene would find its stroke at the plate, scoring three runs during the course of the last two innings and capture the win.
"Early in the game, we did a great job of adjusting to (Hale’s) pitches. We had the opportunity to put the game away in the fifth inning with the bases loaded, but we couldn’t get the job done," said Mansfield coach Gary Vaughn. "It turned into a different ball game after that inning. Lane pitched a great game for us, he pitched his heart out for our fans.
"Had we capitalized in the fifth and given him a cushion, it would be a whole different ball game."
Abilene 10, Mansfield 5: In game two of the bi-district matchup, Mansfield (16-12) had a brief lead at the top of the second, 2-0. But that lead would not last, as Abilene (19-10) strung together five runs to pull out in front. From there, the Tigers had trouble putting runs on the board.
Mansfield put together a few runs in the seventh inning, but it was too little, too late as the Tigers dropped from the playoffs in round one.
Summit 15, Midland 7: Trailing 4-0 after two innings in the May 2 bi-district matchup, Summit rallied with three runs in the third to get within a run. The game would have both teams score a host of runs, with Midland staying ahead of Summit by a run for the better part of the game.
But the Jaguars would not stop competing, as the offense exploded in the seventh inning with a nine-run blowout to take the lead and ultimately the game in the first of two games between Summit and Midland.
Ryan Behmanesh got the win for the Jaguars, improving his record to 6-1. Quinn Sharp would hit a home run for Summit.
Summit 13, Midland 3: A steady stream of scoring on May 3 would lead to a six-inning win for Summit (23-7) and ticket to the next round of the state playoffs. Cody Dickson was on the bump for Summit, and would pitch his way to his ninth victory of the year.
The Jaguars will be back in action tonight against El Paso Socorro (31-2) in Midland at 7:30. Game two will be Saturday at 11 a.m.
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