BASEBALL PLAYOFFS 2018
BRENHAM—For the second straight weekend, Thorndale found itself in the unenviable position of having to win two games on Saturday to keep its season alive.
While the Bulldogs successfully climbed that mountain last week, this time, it was too steep to conquer.
For the second consecutive season, Big Sandy swept the Bulldogs out of the playoffs, this time 13-3, 15-8 in the Class 2A, Region IV finals at venerable Fireman’s Park in a battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the state.
Big Sandy also eliminated Thorndale from the playoffs in 2016 in the regional quarterfinals.
Thorndale—ranked No. 1 most of the season—ends the year at 31-7-1, while No. 2 Big Sandy (33-4-1) advances to the UIL state tournament Wednesday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock and will face defending state champion Muenster (27-3). New Deal (28-4) and Woden (27-6) play in the other semifinal.
Big Sandy unleashed a deluge of offense on the Bulldogs that mirrored its output on the season when the Wildcats posted double digits in 22 wins and averaged 10 runs a game.
“We had our chances to take a lead or increase a lead in both games and just couldn’t come up with the big hit,” said Thorndale Coach Kelly Kuhl. “These kids have nothing to be ashamed of. They are are great group of young men with bright futures in front of them.”
While the 15-8 victory in the finale Saturday afternoon was impressive, it could have been worse. Big Sandy left 16 base runners stranded, including the bases loaded in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings in a contest that took well over three hours to complete.
Eight of the nine Wildcat hitters tallied at least one hit, led by Brian Hendricks and Cody Adams with three apiece as Big Sandy totaled 15 base hits. The Wildcats also used the long ball with Brock Holmes and Garrett Lilly cranking homers.
Big Sandy posted at least one run in every inning, including three each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Thorndale countered with 10 hits, led by senior shortstop Ashton Albert, who collected three hits including two doubles that produced four runs batted in. Logan Fisher smashed a home run in the fifth inning. Scott Guzman performed his job perfectly as leadoff hitter, getting on base on four of his five at bats, with three walks and a single, swiped a pair of bases and he scored three times.
Thorndale ace Cole-by Driver labored in the first two innings, using 50 pitches as Big Sandy sent 14 batters to the plate and coaxed three walks and three hits off the senior righthander.
Driver was lifted in the fifth after allowing the home run to Holmes to make the score 9-4.
Bulldog pitchers walked seven and also hit four Wildcat batters on the afternoon.
The left handed Holmes struck out six Bulldogs and allowed five hits for Big Sandy.
The Bulldogs chipped away at Big Sandy’s lead all afternoon, but could never string together that big inning to put them over the top.
Thorndale countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on Albert’s double to score Guzman and Ortiz to knot the score at 3-all, but after the Wildcats went up 6-4 in the fourth, the Bulldogs could get no closer.
Thorndale wasted some opportunities, leaving nine runners stranded, including three in the very first inning.
The Bulldogs—trying to make it to the state tournament for the first time since 2010—put on one last charge in their final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh as Guzman, Albert and Corey Huber all singled to plate a pair of runs to slice the lead to 15-8, but could not extend the inning.
The Bulldogs lose eight senior starters, with only junior second baseman Guzman returning next season.
BS 122 133 3—15 15 2 Thorn. 120 111 2—8 10 2
Lilly and Holmes, Maxwell
(6); Fisher and Driver, Taylor (5), Kovar (6). W-Holmes. L-Driver. 2B-Hendricks, Adams, Thompson, Albert (2). HR-Fisher, L., Holmes, Lilly.
Thorn. 3 7 5 BS 13 7 2
W-Hendrix. L-Fisher, L. 2B-Guzman, Holmes. HR-Holmes, Lilly.
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