By Mickey Smith
ETX BELL SPORTS
The defending state champion, China Springs Cougars, ended a fantastic, and somewhat unexpected, banner season for the Bullard Panthers on Saturday, completing a two-game sweep in the Class 4A DI, Regional Semi-finals.
Game one in Bullard, the locals unfortunately made up for a season of not allowing a homerun, as the Cougars bashed four round-trippers in a five-inning affair, cruising 17-5.
Game Two was played in 90-degree weather, and it may have taken its toll.
Both teams combined for nine errors, while CS took advantage of two successful double-steals and a testy corner of the plate.
China Springs (33-4) will play Lumberton in the regional finals next week, to earn the right to travel back to Dell Field in Round Rock, vying to win back-to-back state crowns.
Bullard ended the year at 27-9 under the lead of former local BHS great, college and professional pitcher, and rookie head coach, Chad Sherman.
GAME ONE
China Springs 17, Bullard 5
BULLARD- Going into the regional semi-final against the defending champion, China Springs Cougars, the Panthers had not allowed a home run all season.
However, four long-range bombs and extra base missiles were flying in the Game One opener, played at Panther Field, at the Bullard Sports Complex, this past Thursday.
Unfortunately for Bullard, the defending state champions did most of the bombardment in the 17-5, Panthers’ setback to open the series.
Cougar first baseman Dean Hannah was on a one-man wrecking crew.
The righty, free-swinger accounted for two round trippers, a sacrifice, and a double for seven RBIs, and scored three times.
That’s 10 runs alone.
Couple that with the bottom three swingers in the CS order all scored three times apiece, contributing in the shortened five-innings slugfest.
Cougars banged out four homers combined, and seven extra-base raps, for 16 hits overall.
They are defending state champs for a reason.
“Obviously, they are a great baseball program that is always playing this time of year,” said Coach Sherman about the Cougars. “We just didn’t play well enough to earn a win.
“Give them credit, they took advantage of our mistakes and made us pay for them. said Sherman about game one. ” It’s good for our guys to see what it takes to win games this time of year going forward,” the head coach added.
China Springs put the first run up on Hannah’s first dinger in the top of the first inning.
The Cougars tagged on a four-run top of the second, led by Hannah’s two-RBI double and a 5-0 Cougar cushion.
Another five runs were again highlighted by Hannah’s three-RBI home run.
Bullard, already trailing 10-0, got a little bit of momentum after a two-RBI bomb from Dylan Fowler, driving in Ty Rigsby.
Rigsby reached on an infield base hit too deep for the CS third baseman to even attempt a throw.
The slight lift in the Panthers’ rally was quickly shot down.
China Springs scored seven runs on six hits, and Bullard’s two errors aided in the fourth inning.
A leadoff homer from Jackson Fetters was later followed up with a Jackson Knapp grand-slam and a 17-2, Cougar cruise.
Bullard pretty much cleared the bench with pinch-hitters in the final at-bat, giving some of the younger players some playoff experience.
As it turned out, the pinch-hitters came through just too little too late.
The backups went through two Cougar pitchers and scored three times after Freshman Luke Alexander led off with a free pass.
Three more walks to Colt Cain, Fowler, and Jonah Hunter brought across two Panther runs on passed balls, and a 17-4 hill to climb for Bullard.
Panthers outfielder, Stainback, stepped in next to pound a left-center field gap for a single, plating the final run of the game to score Fowler.
Freshman pitcher Jacob Hinojosa threw a three-hitter for four innings, taking the win on the hill, before giving way to his two replacements in the bottom of the fifth frame.
GAME TWO
China Springs 11, Bullard 6
CHINA SPRINGS – Maybe it was the first hot game to play in on Saturday, at Cougar Field.
Maybe it was that outside corner.
Most likely, it was five untimely Bullard errors, and three Cougar pitchers combining for a five-hit Regional Semi-final series clincher, winning 11-6.
The Cougars put up five runs in the bottom of the second inning. And it was ugly for Bullard.
A lead-off single by Hudsen Brown began a cavalcade of miscues and missed corners at the plate.
The Cougars got one by error, then three straight walks, the last for an RBI, started the scoring.
Bullard made another error scored scoring two runs, before a sacrifice fly made it a 5-0, CS lead.
Bullard had not made three errors in a one-half all season.
“We made some mistakes, and you just can’t do that against a quality team, especially at their home field,” Sherman said of the Panthers’ miscues.
Bullard fought right back in the third inning.
Junior center fielder, Atley Jones, slapped a frozen rope to right to lead off.
A free pass to Tannon Wynne, then a one-out walk to Ethan Foster.
Back-to-back errors by the Cougars’ third and second basemen helped plate Jones and Tannon Wynne.
Junior shortstop, Jackson Holt, did his job with a ground out, a fielder’s choice as Foster came in for a 5-3, Cougar cushion.
Two more Bullard errors, coupled with three singles, made it 8-3, with three innings complete.
A one-out single, followed by a double, upped the Panthers’ deficit. Next, it was two singles followed by another double that started to lock in the win after the fifth inning, leading 11-3.
The Panthers finally got a three-up, three-down in the sixth inning as sophomore pitcher Evan Downing and battery-mate freshman Ty Whitehead checked in. Downing sandwiched a fly-out to left field in between two strikeouts to hold the Cougars at bay.
Bullard made one final push in the seventh frame.
Ty Rigsby drew a walk and almost immediately stole second base.
Three batters later, after two Panthers pop-outs, Kage Korenek was hit by a pitch.
Bullard shortstop Jackson Holt had one good jolt left, pounding a two-RBI triple to the wall, scoring Rigsby and Korenek.
Pinch-hitter, Senior Krew Korenek would step in, drilling a double to score Holt for what was to be Bullard’s final run of the year in the 11-6 final score.
Three CS pitchers held the bats to five hits, five walks, six strikeouts, and hit two Panthers batters.
Bullard used three arms as well, striking out six, walking five, and surrendering nine hits.
All said and done, the three-error inning was a huge momentum buster.
“Yeah, just unfortunate, Coach Sherman wrapped things up. ” We have hung our hat on great pitching and solid defense all year, and we just didn’t make the plays we needed to today. In closing, the District Coach of the year in his rookie season, Sherman added, ” I’m proud of our guys for hanging in and fighting to get back in the game.”
