LUFKIN — In what was a classic pitcher’s duel from start to finish, runs and even runners came at a premium.
But it was the New Waverly Bulldogs who took advantage and came out with a 2-0 victory in the pivotal first game of the Class 2A Region III best-of-three semifinal series at Morris Frank Park on Thursday night.
“This game was everything it was supposed to be with both aces up there,” New Waverly coach Tommy Bohannon said. “They really performed. You never know how limited your opportunities are going to be. We were able to bring them across. The second run was really big for us.
“Matt (Roberts) kept the hitters off-balance. His control was fantastic tonight. You couldn’t ask for more out of him and the team with some of the plays we made. It was playoff baseball at its best.”
New Waverly and White Oak both threw their No. 1 pitchers — Roberts for the Bulldogs and Blake Ware for the Roughnecks — in an attempt to get the upper hand in the series. It came down to which one made the fewest mistakes.
Roberts was nearly flawless on the mound, having one of his best games of the season on the biggest stage to date. He (10-1) allowed just one hit, which came in the second inning. After that, he was untouchable and didn’t allow another batter to reach base. Roberts finished with 11 strikeouts and no walks against the seventh-ranked Roughnecks (23-7).
Roberts’ control was also dominant and only got stronger as the game went on. Of the 73 pitches the sophomore hurler threw, only 20 were outside of the strike zone.
“My arm felt really good tonight,” Roberts said. “I had good control of my pitches. I was happy with that. My defense pulled through like they always do.”
Thanks to a little bit of hustle, the Bulldogs were able to get on base.
In the second inning, junior second baseman Ryan Reyes popped a high fly near the third-base line. White Oak junior shortstop Chace Evans called off third baseman Logan King. Though Evans was under the ball, he misjudged it and the ball fell just inside the line. Though it seemed like an easy out, Reyes kept running and it paid off as he reached second base.
“It was very big that he hustled and got to second,” Bohannon said. “Those are the things you have to do in these kind of games.”
Reyes was waiting for the right opportunity and when that time came, he sprinted as fast as he could and stole third. With two outs and a 2-2 count, junior center fielder Eli Amador drilled a pitch right up the middle and brought Reyes home to give New Waverly a 1-0 lead.
“He kept throwing me fastballs and I kept fouling them off,” Amador said. “That last pitch looked like a big beach ball. I just made contact with it and hit it up the middle and Ryan scored.”
The Bulldogs took advantage of more White Oak miscues and added an insurance run in the fifth.
Amador reached first after being hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Then sophomore right fielder Eric Koonce drew a walk. The Bulldogs got both runners in scoring position after Ware balked. Sophomore left fielder Micah Bohannon bunted the ball, but it went too close to Ware and Amador was out at third.
Ware looked to get out of the inning after getting senior shortstop Rhett Bohannon to pop out and had a 1-2 count on designated hitter Kody Coleman. After a few fouls, Ware threw a pitch in the dirt, which bounced past catcher Jackson McCurdy and Koonce scored to make it a two-run game.
The Bulldogs held on as Roberts struck out five batters in the final two innings.
The Bulldogs need only one victory to move on to the regional finals against either Trinity or Harleton. New Waverly will attempt to get the clinching victory on Saturday when it will conclude the series at Central High School in Pollok.
Game two will begin at 3 p.m. The third game, if necessary, will start shortly after the conclusion of the second.
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