Published: May 22, 2009 10:18 pm      

Bobcats, Cardinals split, will duke it out in Game Three tonight

VIDOR — So much for being winless against the Bridge City Cardinals.

The Orangefield Bobcats fought off elimination in Game 2 Friday night at Vidor High School with a 5-4 victory behind a gutsy performance from Jace Statum.

The Cardinals won Game 1, 5-1, so now the two District 21-3A rivals will meet at 7 p.m. tonight back in Vidor.

Statum gave up four hits on 129 pitches in seven innings with 12 strike outs.

The Cardinals made it interesting in the bottom of the sixth when Luke Rhodes hit a two-run homer to right to make it 5-4. Rhodes’ blast scored Matt Hicks, the Game 1 winning pitcher, who had walked.

The Cardinals jumped on the Bobcats early in Game 2 as Joe Robertson led off the bottom of the first with single to right.

Blake Hubbard hit a two-run homer to right with two outs to give Bridge City an early 2-0 lead.

It was not until the top of the third before the Bobcats tied the game up.

Derrick Evans hit a double to right center.

Evans scored to make it 2-1 when Statum hit a RBI single to right. Statum took second on a Bridge City throwing error and eventually was on third after a wild pitch.

Statum scored to tie the game 2-2 on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Johnathan Deramus.

The Bobcats took their first lead of the series in the top of the sixth when Felts led off with a walk, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball to give Orangefield a 3-2 lead.

With one out Zach Peevey drew a walked and moved to second on a wild pitch.

Quinton Evans made sure it did not matter which base Peevey was on when he blasted a two-run bomb to right center to make it 5-2 Bobcats.

Bridge City took Game 1, 5-1, behind 12 Cardinals hits off Orangefield starting pitcher Felts.

The big hit came in the top of the third with the Cardinals up 1-0 off the bat of Luke Rhodes.

Matt Hicks drew a one-out double to left before Rhodes blasted a two-run homer to right field to make it 3-0.

Blake Hubbard then doubled to center and later came in to score when Caleb Kellogg ripped a RBI double to left to make it 4-0.

Hicks went the distance on the hill and gave up four hits with seven strike outs and two walks. The lone Orangefield run was unearned.

Derrick Evans scored in the bottom of the third after reaching on an error and moving to second on a wild pitch.

Evans scored when Felts reached on an error to make it 3-1.

Hicks scored the last run of Game 1 in the top of the seventh after leading off with a double to left centerfield.

Hicks took third on a passed ball and then came in to score on an Orangefield throwing error to make it 5-1.

Bridge City’s first run came in the top of the second as Kellogg hit a one-out triple off the centefield wall.

Blake Snyder plated Kellogg with two outs on a RBI infield singleo to make it 1-0.

Felts thrw all seven innings and struck out a batter and walked a batter.