HUNTSVILE — Jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings, the Waco Robinson held off Little Cypress-Mauriceville 8-5 Friday in Game Two of the Class 4A Region III Finals at Son Sanders Field at Sam Houston State University to advance to the Class 4A State Tournament next week.

The Bears (24-12), who fell in Game One 12-2 Thursday night at the University of Houston, battled hard, like they have done all season long as they had the powerful Rockets (29-3) sweating all the way to the end.

Robinson finished with 11 hits while the Bears picked up nine of their own.

Zac Boyett got the win on the Robinson hill as he worked six innings, allowing eight hits, while Mason Cooper pitched the seventh for the save.

Mitchell Lee, despite nursing a elbow injury that he suffered in Thursday’s game, battled hard on the mound for the Bears, going five innings, and allowing nine hits while fanning four and walking three. Christian Fuselier pitched the final two frames for the Bears.

The Rockets struck for a run in the top of the first.

Mason Cooper slapped a one-out single past first base and swiped second before Tanner James drew a walk.

With two outs, Cooper swiped third and an error at third allowed him to scoot home to score. Dru Dziedzic drew a walk and Grant Reel reached on a error but Bear starter Mitchell Lee got out of the jam by striking out Peyton Powell.

Robinson picked up four runs on five hits in the top of the second to snare a 5-0 lead. The Rockets scored all four runs with two outs.

Rhett Roznos reached on a leadoff single up the middle and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tee Johnson. Zac Boyett moved Roznos to third on a groundout.

Cooper scored Roznos with an infield single. James made it 3-0 with a sharp single up the middle that plated Cooper.

Braxton Ashcraft sent a RBI single to right as James hustled in to score. After Dziedzic reached on an infield single, Ashcraft scored on a double steal as the Rockets led 5-0.

The Rockets snagged a run in the top of the third.

Roznos had a leadoff single and scored off a Boyett RBI single.

In the bottom of the third, LC-M leadoff hitter Drake Trawhon got his second hit of the night with a one-out single up the middle. Vinny Hale followed with a single to left. However, Boyett got out of a jam as Trawhon was thrown out at third on a steal attempt then he got Mitchell Lee out.

The Bears got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with two runs.

Michael Lee led off by getting hit by a Boyett pitch and moved to second off a Grant White groundout. Peyton Choate then hit a big chopper and an errant throw to first allowed Lee to cross home for the run.

Truman Franklin stroked a single and Choate would score off a Tyler McCorvy sacrifice fly.

LC-M got closer with a run in the bottom of the fifth.

Trawhon got his third hit, a sharp single past second. He swiped second and rushed home to trim it to 6-3 off a Mitchell Lee RBI single past short.

Robinson was able to increase its lead back to five with two runs in the top half of the sixth.

James was hit by a Lee pitch to lead it off and Lee was replaced on the LC-M hill by Fuselier.

Ashcraft came up and roped a standup double. Reel then put down a nice bunt towards third and courtesy runner Cole Hughes was able to score on a play at the plate. Peyton Powell then drove in Ashcraft with a bunt to make it 8-3.

The Bears answered the challenge in the bottom of the sixth by cutting it back to 8-5.

Choate led off with a single up the middle and took second and third on back-to-back wild pitches. Franklin then sent a deep fly to right that was dropped as Choate raced in to trim it to 8-4. McCorvy picked up his second sacrifice fly of the game, scoring Franklin to make it 8-5.

Using a huge eight-run first inning, the Rockets took down the Bears 12-2 in six innings in Game One Thursday night at the University of Houston.

The picked up 13 hits off three LC-M pitchers and also took advantage of eight walks.

Robinson pitcher Dru Dziedzic went all six innings, scattering four LC-M hits while fanning four and walking four.

After the Bears went down in the first inning on three ground ball outs, the Rockets struck in the bottom half of the frame, scoring eight runs on six hits.

Zac Boyett reached on an error at third and Mason Cooper followed with a tough bunt single off LC-M starting pitcher Slade Green. The Bears then intentionally walked Tanner James to load the bases.

Braxton Ashcraft drew a walk, allowing Boyett to trot in to score.

Dru Dziedzic followed with a sharp two-run single to right to plate both Cooper and James. After Grant Reel placed a nice bunt single down the third base line to load the bases, Peyton Powell scored Ashcraft with a sacrifice fly to left.

Rhett Roznos brought in the fifth run with an infield single. Tee Johnson followed with a bunt single.

Getting back to the top of the order, Boyett drew a bases loaded walk to allow Reel to come in to score.

Bryce Peasley then came in to relief Green on the LC-M hill. Green went 1/3 of an inning, allowing five hits and three walks.

With two outs, James shot a two-run single to left centerfield for a 8-0 Rockets’ edge.

LC-M went down1-2-3 in the top half of the second while the Rockets struck for another run in the bottom half.

Dziedzic had a leadoff single past first while Reel and Powell drew back-to-back walks. Courtesy runner Johnson made it 9-0 when he brought home courtesy runner Cole Hughes with a sacrifice fly to right.

The Bears got their sticks going in the top of the third with two outs by putting together three straight hits.

Seth Dronett got the rally moving with a single to center and Drake Trawhon drilled a single to right. Vinny Hale made Dziedzic pay went he sent a two-run double to left.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Peasley walked James and was replaced on the mound by Trawhon. Peasley worked four innings, allowing four hits while striking out five and walking four.

After Ashcraft walked, Dziedzic would come up with his third hit, sending a RBI single to right to score James. Reel then brought home Ashcraft with a sacrifice fly to make it 11-2.

The Rockets put up a run in the bottom of the sixth to end it.

Johnson had a one-out single up the middle. Boyett and Cooper followed with infield singles and James brought home Johnson with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.