Published: May 15, 2008 12:19 pm            

Hubbard shines for Cardinal arsenal

Gabe Pruett — The fans were packing Cardinal Field and yelling louder than ever before as Bridge City was taking on Jasper in district play.

The chants of “B. Hubb.” were heard everywhere, including in Blake Hubbard’s head.

So in his first at bat against the Bulldogs, Hubbard struck out on five pitches and had to wait three more at bats and six innings later to become the Round 1 hero.

Hubbard came up to bat against Justin Parsons with Joe Robertson on second and Casey Jackson on first in a 3-3 game and was as calm as ever.

He slapped a game-winning single into left field as the Cardinals went on to win, 4-3.

“I was very nervous against Jasper in that first at bat,” Hubbard said. “The fans were yelling and I struck out on one about three feet from the plate. Once I got that out the way I have been fine. The last at bat I wasn’t nearly as nervous and came through.”

Hubbard is batting .298 on the season with three home runs and 27 RBI. He also has 25 hits with four doubles and 14 hits.

The junior bats in the No. 4 spot for the Cardinals which is a very important spot being as Casey Jackson.

Jackson was getting walked a ton, and still is, yet with Hubbard and Blake Snyder hitting at a high rate, pitchers have to pitch to Jackson.

Hubbard started the season on the bench and has worked is way into being an utility player in the field and very often is the designated hitter.

“I was able to get out and started to play more,” Hubbard said. “I went into a slump in the middle of the season and during the Needville series I was able to pick up a few RBI.”

Being a varsity Cardinals baseball player has been a goal of Hubbard for quite some time now.

“I have looked forward to this my whole life,” Hubbard said. “Growing up and playing in little league, this was always the goal.”

Now Hubbard and the Cardinals are ready for Round 3 against the Bulldogs this Friday in the Class 3A Region III regional quarterfinals. The game will be played in Nederland at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Cardinals won the second game in district 7-6 in Jasper.

“Everyone was saying we would be good next year and would wait to win the district championship,” Hubbard said. “I knew we had the potential and we wanted it this year. It’s a good sign.

“Now we are going to have to stress our hitting Friday. Game 1 against Needville we didn’t come out hitting and no matter who is pitching we will have to bat behind them. Jasper is always a threat and we always look forward to playing them. They are our rivals and now we want a little revenge from last year.”

Just don’t expect Hubbard to be as nervous as he was in that first at bat.

        

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