Published: May 08, 2008 11:49 pm            

Needville's dingers leads to 2-1 win over Cardinals

HUMBLE — All the Needville Blue Jays needed were two mistakes by Bridge City Matt Hicks in Game 1 of the Class 3A Region III area round playoffs at Humble High School.

The two mistakes each landed behind the fence as Needville went on to win 2-1 in eight innings to take a 1-0 lead in the best of three series.

Game 2 is slated for 7:30 p.m. today at Humble High School with Game 3, if necessary, is at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The second home run came off the bat of lead-off hitter Kody Neel in the top of the eighth.

Neel parked the first pitch he saw from Hicks past the right-centerfield fence to give Needville (21-5) the 2-1 lead.

Bridge City (24-6) could not answer in the bottom of the eighth as Needville starter Mike McGuire sat the Cardinals down in order to finish off the complete-game.

McGuire need 112 pitches on the night and gave up just four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.

Hicks threw 114 pitches and allowed six hits with one walk and nine strike outs.

Hicks also scored the Cardinals lone run in the bottom of the fourth after drawing a one-out walk.

Two batters later Blake Hubbard singled to right, the Cardinals' first hit, and a Needville error in the outfield gave Hicks time to tie the game 1-1.

Up until that point, McGuire had been rolling along not allowing a base runner through the first 3 1/3 innings.

Needville had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth as shortstop Brad Porras led off the inning with a solo homer to left-centerfield.

It was certainly a pitcher's duel for most of the contest.

Both starters sat down the first six batters they each faced.

The first base runner of the game came in the top of the third as Kobie Hajdik led off the inning with a single to left.

With two down Neel drew a walk to put two runners on base.

Hicks settled down and got Corey Hail to ground out to short to end the threat.

Hajdik led the top of the fifth inning off with an infield single and moved to second on a one-out sacrifice bunt by Ryan Stack.

Hicks once again proved too much for the Blue Jays and got Neel to strike out looking.

The Cardinals also stranded a crucial runner in the bottom of the fifth as Jaden Dillon led off with a double.

Dillon was moved to third on a fly out but was stranded and Bridge City was stuck with one run.

Needville then got Porras to third with two outs as Porras hit a one-out single to center.

A ground out moved him to third and a Bridge City error advanced Porras to third.

Hicks ended the inning with a strike out of McGuire.

Neither team poised much of a threat in the seventh inning as Needville went down with three up and three down.

Dillon hit a two-out double for Bridge City yet was once again stranded.

Neel was able to connect and now the Cardinals find themselves in a familiar place against Needville.

Bridge City was down 1-0 in a three-game series against Needville only to come back and win the next two games.

        

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