Cardinals topple Bears to earn second-place playoff seed
Published 9:55 pm Friday, April 29, 2022
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BRIDGE CITY – Getting a complete game from ace pitcher Ethan Oceguera, the Bridge City Cardinals scooted past the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears 9-2 in District 22-4A action at Chuck Young Field Friday night to nab the second-place playoff berth out of 22-4A.
Oceguera allowed just two hits while striking out eight.
The Cardinals (18-9, 8-4) finished second all alone after Silsbee (18-7, 7-5) fell to third by falling to Vidor (17-10, 6-6) 7-6 in nine innings Friday. That means that LC-M (14-13, 6-6) and Vidor will have to have a play-in game to decide the district’s fourth playoff spot.
The Cardinals picked up eight hits off LC-M pitchers Marco Bandiero, who went two innings, and Parker Seago, who tossed four frames.
The Cardinals scored three runs in the bottom of the first as John Van Huis scored on a passed ball, J.S. Bearden drew a bases-loaded walk to score the second run and Braylen Collins eventually came in on a passed ball.
Justin Abate made it 5-0 in the bottom of the second when he cranked a two-run home run over the leftfield wall that also brought in Van Huis, who reached after being hit by a pitch.
Van Huis upped the lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the third with a two-run single that scored Bearden, who singled to right, and Brice Swanton, who had reached after being hit by a pitch.
Oceguera got in on the act in the fourth when he stroked a solo homer run over the leftfield wall.
The Bears scratched in a pair of runs on two hits in the top of the sixth inning.
Gunner Johnson reached on an error and Seago got on after a bunt single. Ashton Landry loaded the bases with a single to left. Johnson came in to score on a balk and Reid Peco brought home Seago with a fielder’s choice RBI.
Collins had a two-out single for the Cardinals in the bottom of the sixth and R.J. Esquievel singled to right. Collins eventually scored on a Bear throwing error.