By Caleb Adams

Leader Correspondent

 

HUNTSVILLE—The Orangefield Bobcats are definitely a leg up after they defeated the New Waverly Bulldogs 5-1 in Game One of their best-of-three Class 3A Region III area round series at Don Sanders Stadium at Sam Houston State University Friday night.

Orangefield’s defense and clutch hitting led them to the important opening win.

Game Two of the series will be at Port Neches-Groves High School Saturday at noon with Game Three to follow if necessary.

Blake Bradley got the nod in Game One for the Bobcats (19-10) and performed just as he hoped for the coaching staff. Bradley gave up a few hits but always got out of seemingly dire situations against the Bulldogs (19-9). Bradley used grounders and fly balls and let his defense make the outs. The great defense from the Bobcats all game long was a big help to Bradley as the game progressed.

In the second, fourth, fifth, sixth the Bulldogs would leave runners in scoring position thanks to Bradley’s bend but don’t break pitching. Bradley would throw the complete game for the win as he allowed seven hits, had three strikeouts and two walks.

Mason Gonzales and Johnny Armstrong led the way for the Bobcats with the sticks. Gonzales was responsible for two RBI’s and the team’s only extra base hit in the fifth inning. Armstrong would score twice from the leadoff position and really get the rallies started for the Bobcats. The mass of the offensive production came in the final frame but those two found a way on base just about every at bat.

The Bobcats scratched in a run first in the top of the first inning off of a Mason Gonzales sacrifice fly. Armstrong led off with a walk, went to second on a wild pitch and eventually scored on Gonzales’ deep fly ball.

New Waverly opened things up early thanks to a sac fly of their own in the first frame. After taking advantage of Bobcat miscues a sac fly scores Seth Adams who walked to get on as the Bulldogs evened things up.

Bradley forced an error to take the Bobcats’ second lead in the top of the third inning. Kent Micheal led off with a walk, followed by an Evans single. Gonzales hit into an error, loading the bases for Bradley. Bradley hit a squirrely grounder and the shortstop couldn’t handle it, scoring Micheal from third base. That would be it as they left the bases loaded, but the Bobcats led 2-1, which is actually th last run they needed.

The Bobcats didn’t think one run wass enough and score three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Armstrong and Micheal started it off with back to back singles, and advance to third and second on some smart baserunning. Kadeon Evans sent a hard grounder up the middle to score Armstrong from third base. Gonzales would hit another deep sac fly to score Jacob Harvey, who pinch ran for Micheal, for Gonzales’ second RBI of the game.

Landen Tomlinson kept the inning alive with an infield single. Tomlinson’s single to deep short would send in Evans from third, who got moved on a sac bunt from Gunner Jones. That would be it for the giant inning but the Bobcats put a big blow to a comeback from the Bulldogs as they built a four-run cushion.

The Bobcats finished with nine hits while the Bulldogs had seven.

The winner of the Orangefield-New Waverly series will play either Van Vleck or Pollok Central in the regional quarterfinals next week.