SPORTS
Jackrabbits beat Boyd in bi-district playoff series
The Bowie Jackrabbits came through after three days of playing former district opponent Boyd in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
After a disastrous first game in which the Jackrabbits lost 13-7, Bowie won a lightning delayed home game that finished Saturday morning 8-5 and turned around to beat the Yellowjackets 14 hours later, 8-3 on the road.
The first game was played on Thursday at Boyd. The Yellowjackets took the lead in the first inning. A two out double and an error in the outfield with the next batter led to Boyd taking a 1-0 lead.
The Jackrabbits tied the score in the top of the third inning as Kash Stockard led off with a double. Singles from Evan Kennedy and Taylor Pigg followed to drive Stockard home, but a double play and a pop out to the pitcher kept the game tied 1-1.
The Yellowjackets took advantage of three free bases, a base hit and two errors to score three runs and take a 4-1 lead after three innings. While the third inning was rough, the fourth inning was excruciating.
Bowie’s pitchers had trouble finding the strike zone, walking six batters in the inning and hitting a batter. Add it a couple of hits and sacrifice flys and Boyd scored six runs to break the game open and go up 10-1.
Fearing a run rule outcome, the Jackrabbits offense started to put some things together. Facing a new pitcher, a leadoff walk and single was followed by Payton Price double to right field to drive in a run. Braden Armstrong drove in a run with a single followed by Weston Partridge, who grounded out to the shortstop but not before cutting the lead to 10-4.
Boyd made up those runs next time up to bat. Three base hits and walk scored three runs, but Bowie avoided giving up one more run that would have ended the game early, trailing 13-4.
In the sixth inning after the first two batters got on base, Kennedy hit a triple that drove in a run. Pigg followed with a groundout to drive in another run to cut the lead to 13-7 where it stayed as Boyd won.
With 11 free bases given up and seven errors in the field, the Jackrabbits could only play better as they hosted the Yellowjackets the next night. With crowds from both teams coming out for support on Friday, the atmosphere was sure to be electric.
The beginning of the game was a bit of déjà vu for everyone as three walks, a base hit and an error allowed Boyd to go up 2-0 immediately. Bowie kept pace as a triple from Price and a sacrifice fly from Armstrong tied the game at 2-2 after the first inning.
The second and third innings did not have a lot of things happen on the field, but off the field there was plenty. The first lightning delay cleared the stands at 8:50 p.m. sometime in the second inning.
The rules say games can only be started again after the last lighting strike in a 10-mile radius was struck 30 minutes ago. After about 40 minutes, the game started.
The Yellowjackets scored on a passed ball strike three to go up 3-2, but the second lightning delay came about in the bottom of the third inning about an hour after the first one.
If spectators had not left from the first delay, this one convinced some the game was not finishing that night as constant rain came with it. After an hour and half delay the lightning cleared out for the game to continue thanks to the turf field and the rain staying light. Some hardcore fans stuck it out, but it was a far cry from the packed stands at the beginning of the game.
After the game resumed, Armstrong drove in another run on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3 at the end of the long third inning.
Pitcher Pigg struck out three batters in the fourth inning to keep Boyd at bay while Bowie’s offense came alive. After the first two batters got out, Stockard started things off by getting hit with a pitch. Kennedy followed with a drawn walk. Pigg loaded the bases with an infield single.
Still only one out away from squandering a bases loaded opportunity, Price came through with a single that drove in a run, giving the Jackrabbits their first lead not only of the game, but in the series.
Cooper Little followed with a huge bases clearing triple that broke the game open. Armstrong followed with a single to drive in Little, giving Bowie an 8-3 lead.
The Yellowjackets responded with a run in the fifth inning, but Pigg struck out his eighth and ninth batters of the game to keep the Jackrabbits lead breathable at 8-4. Bowie’s batters failed to get on base for the first time in the game.
Luis DeLeon came in to get the save. A leadoff walk is erased when the defense pulled its second double play of the game, both thanks to slide infractions from Boyd’s lead runners in those situations.
The Yellowjackets had one more chance in the seventh inning and scored a run thanks to a triple and a sacrifice fly, but that was all as Bowie won 8-5 as the clock struck 12:36 a.m. Saturday morning.
The third and deciding game was played later that day at Boyd.
The Jackrabbits struck first as Kennedy led off and got on second base thanks to an error. After a Pigg base hit moved him to third base, a passed ball allowed him to score as Bowie took a 1-0 lead from right off the bat.
A leadoff walk and a fielding error started things off ominously on defense for the Jackrabbits. The Yellowjackets got both runners home by the end of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.
The teams exchanged scoreless second innings before Bowie’s offense got things going again for an explosive third inning. Price and Armstrong drove in runs with back-to-back hits to retake the lead.
An error in left field allowed another run to score on a Partridge hit. With the bases loaded and two outs, DeLeon drew a walk for another run to give the Jackrabbits a 5-2 lead.
Boyd cut the lead to 5-3 with three base hits to end the third inning. The teams exchanged scoreless fourth and fifth innings. In the sixth inning, Pigg and Little each knocked in runs to increase Bowie’s lead to 7-3.
Boo Oakley came in to get the save for the Jackrabbits and only gave up a two out single to move the game into the final inning. With two outs, Kennedy hit a groundball to shortstop that was mishandled for an error that allowed another run to get by and increase Bowie’s lead to 8-3.
Despite giving up a one out walk and single, Oakley fielded a ball to get an out at third base and then struck out the final batter swinging to secure the save and the series.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona
The Nocona Indians ended their regular season with a sweep of Alvord to secure a number one seed heading into the playoffs.
The Indians won 13-6 and 3-1 to earn the top seed in the big school division in the playoffs.
With that much on the line despite already securing a playoff spot the previous week, Nocona had a lot to play for in its final regular season series.
The Bulldogs got on the board first with two runs, but the Indians answered with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning to retake the lead 9-2.
Both teams scored one run in the third inning before Nocona scored three runs in the fourth inning to go up 13-3. Alvord was able to extend the game and avoid getting run-ruled by scoring two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth inning.
The Indian bats were cold in the final three innings, but the defense bounced back to shut out the Bulldogs in the seventh inning to win 13-6.
RJ Walker and Jayce Lehde each drove in three runs to lead the team while Ladon Fatheree and Zyrus Moreno both drove in two runs. Nocona finished with nine hits and drew nine walks during the game.
On the mound, Walker Murphey pitched six innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on 12 hits while striking out one and walking two.
The second game was more a pitcher’s duel that had far less action scoring runs.
The Indians scored first in the second inning with one run, but Alvord tied the game with one run in the fourth inning. Nocona answered with two runs in the fifth inning and held on to win 3-1.
Lehde and Fatheree drove in one run each while Murphey scored the other run on the basepaths thanks to a wild pitch. Nocona had only two hits while the team drew seven walks.
Walker helped carry the team on the mound, pitching the whole game while giving up one run on four hits and striking out 13 batters. The defense committed no fielding errors.
Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles ended their season on Monday this week, losing some tough games on the way out before closing with a win.
The Eagles lost to Perrin-Whitt 13-1, to Bryson 17-2 before beating Saint Jo 7-2 to end the season on a high note.
Bellevue struggled against the two other 1A teams in its district in its previous matchups as both teams are heading towards the playoffs. Both the Pirates and Cowboys proved it once again in the final matchup on April 22 and Monday before playing a team more on its level.
The Eagles and Panthers were 1-1 against each other this season. Playing after Bellevue’s loss to against Bryson right before on Saint Jo’s home field, the Eagles wanted revenge.
Bellevue got it with a 7-2 win against the Panthers to end both team’s season and this year improve the series 2-1 in the Eagles favor.
River Trail led the team with two RBIs while Hunter Blackburn had a team high two hits.
The team finished with seven hits and drew 10 walks.
On the mound, Bryce Ramsey allowed two runs on nine hits while striking out seven and walking five. The defense committed one fielding error.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had a tough final week to their disappointing season.
The Panthers lost to Bryson 10-4 before losing to Bellevue 7-2 to close out their season.
Saint Jo knew it was out of the playoff hunt and was playing for pride as it hoped to end the season with its head held high.
The Panthers played the Cowboys on April 22 and were put behind the eight ball when Bryson rallied off seven runs in the third inning. Saint Jo closed the game well, but could not overcome that bad inning as it lost 10-4.
Sam Martin, Charlie Evans, Mathew Sampson and Jayden Curry each drove in one run each. Saint Jo had nine hits and drew six walks during the game.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo’s defense allowed 10 hits and nine walks while committing five fielding errors.
The Panthers then waited a week before ending their season on Monday, due to rain causing the game to be rescheduled, against Bellevue. Each team had beaten the other so far this season and with both teams out of the playoffs, it was a game about local pride more than anything.
Unfortunately for Saint Jo, it did not go its way on Monday. The Eagles scored in every inning besides the first and seventh inning while the Panthers only scored in the fourth inning. Bellevue won 7-2.
Devin Stewart led the team with two RBIs on a double he hit. The team finished with eight hits and drew six walks, but it was not enough to hang with the Eagles.
The pitching staff allowed only four hits, but three fielding errors and nine walks allowed Bellevue to rack up the runs.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
The Bowie Jackrabbits finished their season last week with a dominant series sweep against Vernon.
The Jackrabbits won both games by run-rule 13-2 and 11-1 against the Lions.
Bowie came into the week with its playoff hopes shot after splitting with Holliday. The Jackrabbits were playing for pride and knew they had what it took to win decisively against Vernon and made sure to show it.
Game one did not start off great as the Lions scored two runs in the first inning, but Bowie answered with three runs of its own in the same inning, taking the lead 3-2 and never looking back.
The Jackrabbit defense shut down Vernon the rest of the game while scoring three runs in the second and fourth innings and four runs in the third inning.
It was enough to end the game early after four and half innings, Bowie winning 13-2 in its final home game on senior night.
Edmond De Leon led the team with four RBIs while Boston Farris, Trae Seigler and Jorge De Leon each had two RBIs. The team finished with 10 hits and drew seven walks as the team consistently found ways to score every inning of the game.
Farris got the start on the mound and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking four during five innings of work. The defense committed no fielding errors.
The second game was on the road, but the Jackrabbits made sure not to start slow like they did in game one. Edmond De Leon blasted a three-run home run in the first inning to put Bowie up 3-0.
After a scoreless second inning, the Jackrabbits scored three runs in the third and fifth innings and two runs in the fourth inning. With the Lions scoring only one run in the third inning, that was all the run support Bowie needed to end the game early again after five innings.
The Jackrabbits won 11-1.
Edmond De Leon led the team with three RBIs while hitting a home run and a triple. Seigler and Austin Cheney drove in two runs. Bowie finished with 10 hits and drew six walks.
On the mound, Seigler pitched four innings and allowed one run (zero earned) on two hits while striking out and walking one batter. The defense committed three fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
For pictures from the last home game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874727&T=1
For pictures from senior night, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874728&T=1
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers season ended on Thursday night in the bi-district round of the playoffs against Knox City.
The Houndettes won by run-rule 21-7 after six innings, ending the Lady Panthers year since the series was condensed to just one game.
Saint Jo came into the series after winning the district title, but knew Knox City would be tough. Still, the Lady Panthers had played in and won several games with high scores which gave them hope they could hang with whatever the Houndettes to could bring.
Knox City got on the board first, scoring on a three-run triple to go up 3-0. Saint Jo answered in the same inning with Kamron Skidmore driving in two runs on a single to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the third inning the Houndettes drove in five runs on a single, double and home run to increase their lead to 8-2. The Lady Panthers got one run back in the same inning thanks to a fielding error at third base that drove in one run to make it 8-3.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Knox City added to its lead in the fifth inning. A fielding error allowed one run to score and a three RBI triple added three more to make it 12-3.
In the sixth inning, the Houndettes reeled off nine runs to as it looked like the end was near for Saint Jo. Down 21-3, the Lady Panthers needed to score nine runs to avoid getting run-ruled.
Down to the final out, Saint Jo started a two-out rally. An error at short stop resulted in two runs to score. Jordyn O’Neal then ripped off a two RBI triple as the Lady Panthers had more than doubled their score.
Unfortunately that is where it would end. The next batter grounded out for the final out.
Knox City won 21-7.
Skidmore led the team with three RBIs while O’Neal was second with two. The team finished with seven hits and drew two walks, but it was not enough to keep up with the Houndettes who had 13 hits and drew 12 walks. Saint Jo committed two fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
For more pictures from the game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874729&T=1
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