Mules vs Childress Bi-District (5-7&9-2015)
The Mules had to travel a long distance to meet the
Childress Bobcats on a weather-proof field this past weekend. West Texas High’s
Comanche Field was chosen because it is a complete turf field and rain was in
the forecast.
The Home team had the advantage in each of the three games
and the Mules had won the flip to be the home team on Thursday afternoon. The
Mules won 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Childress came back on
Saturday morning as the Home team and won the second game of the series 3-1.
The Mules won the coin flip to be the Home team in the final
game of the series and had to battle back from an early 7-0 deficit to score 10
unanswered runs to take the game and the series.
Dustin Smith got the nod to be the starting pitcher in
Thursday’s game. He gave up three runs on four hits and struck out three in
five innings. Danny Campos came on in relief and struck out one.
The Bobcats went in order in the first inning with Smith
only throwing nine pitches.
Brayden Bessire lined a lead-off single to right field in
the bottom of the first inning. Nathan Rejino bunted Bessire to second base. An
error on the third baseman allowed Felipe Guerrero to reach first base and
Bessire went to third.
Wes Clarkson lined to centerfield to plate Bessire and give
the Mules a 1-0 lead after one inning.
The Mules added a second run in the bottom of the third
inning. Rejino drew a one-out walk. He stole second and third base. Clarkson
plated Rejino with a line drive back up the middle. The Mules led 2-0 after three
innings.
Childress scored twice in the top of the fourth inning. The
first batter walked, a base hit, a hit batsman and a second base hit scored a
pair of runs. The Bobcats scored a run in the top of the fifth inning to take a
3-2 lead.
The score remained 3-2 until the bottom of the seventh
inning.
Grey Johnson tied the hands of the pitcher and reached on
the error. Jason Florez beat out a bunt for an infield single and Johnson moved
to second base. Bessire reached on a fielder’s choice but Florez was forced out
at second base.
Rejino sent a ground ball back up the middle to score
Johnson and tie the game. Guerrero hit a slow roller to the second baseman.
Bessire was running from third on the crack of the bat and beat the throw home
for the winning run.
The Mules only run of the first game came in the first
inning. Bessire singled to right field and then stole second base. He scored on
a double to left field by Filipe Guerrero. The Mules held that lead until the
bottom of the six inning.
The Bobcats loaded the bases with a lead-off single, a bunt
and a single. Two more singles brought three runs across to give the Bobcats
the win.
Thirty minutes later the Bobcat’s bats had not cooled off.
Childress put seven runs on the board in the top of the second inning to take a
7-0 lead over the Mules in the deciding game. Smith came on in relief in the
bottom of the second inning.
Florez led off the bottom of the third inning with a single
to right field and he went to second on an error by the right fielder. Bessire
singled to center field and Florez moved to third. Rejino singled right field
to score Florez. Guerrero sent a fly ball to deep left field and Bessire tagged
up and scored. The Mules had chipped two runs off the Bobcats lead to trail
7-2.
Smith issued a walk to the first Bobcat he faced in the top
of the fourth inning. The second batter line out to Florez at short stop for a
double play. A fly ball to Johnson in center ended the inning.
Campos reached on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the
fourth inning. Bryce Mauricio doubled to put Mules at second and third. Bessire
singled into the corner in right field to score both Campos and Mauricio. The
Mules had trimmed the Bobcats lead to 7-4 after four innings.
Smith gave up a two-out triple in the top of the fifth
inning and walked a batter. Smith fielded a ground ball for the final out and
strand the runners at first and third.
Guerrero singled to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning.
Clarkson followed with a single to left field. Both runners advanced on a
passed ball and Guerrero scored on a balk by the Bobcat pitcher. Clarkson went
home on a two-strike bunt by Johnson. The Mules had made it a ball game and
trailed 7-6.
The first Bobcat of the sixth inning singled to right field.
Smith got the next two batters to pop out to Florez at short. The final batter
went down swinging.
Mauricio led off the bottom of the sixth inning with ground
ball that tied the hands of the short stop. Florez bunted to move Mauricio to
second with a sacrifice. Rejino walked on four pitches and Guerrero tripled to
right center field to score both Mauricio and Rejino.
Clarkson tripled to score Guerrero and went home on a single
to center by Smith. The Mules scored four runs to take the lead for good.
Childress had no answer for the Mules in the top of the
seventh inning and the final Bobcat batter lined out to Rejino at second base.
The Mules did not get much time to celebrate on the all-turf
field as River Road and Friona had to move their final two games to Comanche Field
because of rain in Amarillo Saturday morning.
The Bi-District Champion Mules will play for the Area Championship against the Presidio Blue
Devils in a three-game series this Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16, in
Monahans. Game one will begin at 4:00 PM on Friday, May 15. Game two will follow that evening. Game three, if needed, will be played
Saturday morning, May 16, at 11:00 a.m.
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