The Bowie Jackrabbits improbable playoff run continues with another series win against Shallowater clinched on Saturday in the regional semi-finals.
The Jackrabbits came back from losing game one 6-2 to win the final two games of the series 14-7 and 10-1 over a three-day period that also included graduation.
Bowie came into the series as underdogs. The Mustangs were 32-1-1 on their season with some polls placing them as high as 3rd in the state. They had not lost in more than two months and their mostly senior led team was looking forward to a rematch against Brock in the regional finals.
The first two games were played in Amarillo. Game one was played Thursday night.
Carson Sanders got the start on the mound against Shallowater’s ace pitcher. He found himself in trouble in the first inning as two singles and an error at shortstop allowed one run to score.
The Mustangs added to it with a two-out rally in the second inning. Four straight singles scored two runs to make the score 3-0. The Jackrabbits answered in the same inning as Logan Hutson hit a sacrifice fly ball to make it 3-1.
After a 1-2-3 inning from Bowie on defense, the team looked to make a move. The Jackrabbits loaded the bases up with no outs and were in position for a possible big inning that could take control of the game. Unfortunately, the next three batters struck out and Bowie failed to capitalize.
The team felt it in the fourth inning. The Mustangs added one more run on three singles, two of them coming with two outs to make the score 4-1.
In the fifth inning Shallowater’s leadoff got on base thanks to an error and the next batter drew a walk. After both moved into scoring position and with two outs, a single drove them both in to up the lead to 6-1.
Bowie got one of those runs back in the same inning. Jake Fallis drove in a run hitting into a fielder’s choice at second base to cut the lead to 6-2.
The Mustang bats threatened to score more in the final two innings. In both they were able to get two runners on base, but the Jackrabbit defense and relief pitcher Colton Richey held.
Bowie bats had no luck in a quick sixth inning, but did threaten in its final three outs in the seventh inning. Sanders hit a single and Kynan DeMoss drew a walk to put two runners on base with only one out. Later a wild pitch put them both into scoring position.
That would be where they would stay as an infield fly ball and a fly out to right field fell into Shallowater gloves for outs to end the game.
The Mustangs won 6-2.
Bowie had six hits and drew five walks in the game, but the lack of timely hitting and a flawless defensive game from Shallowater led to few runs.
The Jackrabbit defense had two fielding errors that contributed to runs, but the Mustangs also had 11 hits and three walks.
Sanders pitched 4.2 innings and gave up six runs (four earned) on 10 hits while striking out four. Richey pitched 2.1 innings and gave up no runs on one hit and two walks.
It was not the first time Bowie had found itself down after game one this playoff run. Coach Tyler Price said he talked to his team and they agreed that though they hadn’t played well, they had only lost by four runs.
The Jackrabbits had a quick turnaround time as game two started a 10 a.m. the next day on Friday so that they could get back for graduation later that night, win or lose.
Bowie led off the game and immediately took control. Two walks and an error in the first inning showed the Mustangs were not quite as sharp as they had been the previous night.
The Jackrabbits took advantage as Fallis drove in a run with a single. Richey would later hit a sacrifice fly to drive in another run to put them up 2-0.
Kawlyer Swearingin got the start on the mound for Bowie and Shallowater got one of those runs back on a groundout to make it 2-1.
The Jackrabbits loaded up the bases to start the second inning with no outs. Sanders drove one in with a sacrifice fly ball to extend the lead to 3-1.
Bowie’s big offensive inning came in the third. After Richey and Swearingin led off with a double and single, a change at pitcher came from the Mustangs. Later Brody Armstrong drove in one run with a ground out for out two.
The Jackrabbits did a lot before getting their third out. Cade Thompson, DeMoss and Fallis all drove in one run each with singles. Devin Melton followed with a double that drove in two more runs to up the lead to 9-1 before out three came.
The Mustangs were not just going to lay down. A double drove in one run to make it 9-2 and put two runners in scoring position with two outs, but Swearingin limited the damage to one run.
The fourth inning was the first one the Bowie bats failed to score despite getting one hit. Shallowater continued to chip away at the lead, loading the bases with a single, a hit batter and a drawn walk with one out. A single followed that drove in two runs to cut the lead to 9-4.
The Jackrabbit defense then came through with an inning ending double play to get out of the fourth.
Any momentum the Mustangs got from the previous inning went away in the fifth. The Bowie bats came alive again.
Fallis drove in a run with a double. Later with two outs and after a hit batter, Swearingin’s fly ball to right field induced an error that scored two runs. After he stole second base, Swearingin was driven in by next batter Hutson on a single to make the score 13-4.
After a scoreless inning from Shallowater, Bowie added one more to its lead in the sixth inning. Sanders hit a one out triple and was later driven in by DeMoss on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 14-4.
The Jackrabbits were three outs away from winning the game via run-rule, but the Mustangs were not going to go down without a fight.
Two straight fielding errors, one in the outfield and one in the infield, started the bottom of the sixth that allowed one Shallowater run.
A walk and two outs later, a single drove in two more runs to cut the lead to 14-7 before out three led to the final inning.
The Jackrabbits had no luck adding to their lead despite getting two runners on base with one out. A leadoff single and later a single with two outs that put runners at the corners for Shallowater was all the Mustangs could manage. In the end, Bowie sealed up the win 14-7 to force a game three.
DeMoss, Fallis and Melton led the team with two RBIs each. The Jackrabbits wracked up 15 hits and drew five walks while taking advantage of five fielding errors from the usually sharp Mustangs.
Swearingin pitched six innings and allowed seven runs (three earned) on 10 hits and three walks while striking out three batters. DeMoss came in to pitch the final inning and gave up no runs on one hit while striking out one.

To read the full story about what happened in game three, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.