Roughnecks clinch series, 4-2, over Queen City
MARSHALL, Texas—It scores as nothing more than a pop out in foul territory to first base. But it was so much more than that for the White Oak Roughnecks here on a sun-baked Saturday afternoon at Marshall Maverick Field. White Oak managed a harrowing series-clinching 4-2 win over Queen City in game two of their Class 3A area round playoffs.
A sedate Roughneck performance turned a little frantic in the seventh inning and it required a much-needed defensive putout at first to stop the bleeding and secure the victory.
Roughneck first baseman Trenton Gross got a great break on the ball off the bat of Queen City designated hitter Jake Warren. He got to the doorstep of the Bulldog dugout, reached out his glove to gather in that all-important second
White Oak took a seemingly comfortable 4-0 lead into the final frame with Layton Anderson rocking along. Anderson was twirling a two-hitter, having retired 12 consecutive Queen City batters since escaping a potential scare in the second inning.
The Bulldog bats came to life in the seventh to cut a four-run deficit in half and have the bags loaded with just one out. Anderson gave way to Jacob Young and he was promptly greeted with an RBI single to center from Dylan Scott.
Just when it appeared Queen City was about to pull off a monumental last-at-bat rally, Young got Warren to reach for one outside and harmlessly pop out to Gross. Any momentum acquired at that point was gone and left fielder Dalton Sumrow settled under and hauled in a fly from Matthew Davenport to send White Oak to the third round.
The Roughnecks, which improve to 25-7 overall, will now face the 26-2 Hughes Springs Mustangs in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals. The best-of-three series starts at 5 p.m. Thursday with game two at 5 p.m. Friday and a third game, if needed, at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. All games are slated for Woods Field on the campus of East Texas Baptist University.
Heath Hood, who cranked a pair of home runs in Friday’s 10-0 game one shutout of the Bulldogs, picked up where he left off with an opposite single to right to start game two. Hood promptly stole second and found his way home in front of a John Thomsett RBI single to center.
Young was hit by a pitch after Hood swiped second and he tallied the second Roughneck run on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Sumrow.
An outstanding defensive relay foiled a prime Queen City’s scoring opportunity in the second when right fielder Collin Bower teamed with Hood at shortstop on an ensuing exchange to catcher Zach Maly that stonewalled Easton Fincher at home plate.
Fincher was attempting to race all the way around from first after Scott had dropped a double into right centerfield gap. That would be all she wrote for the Bulldogs until the seventh act.
Anderson, meanwhile, was in total command on the bump. He let his defense play behind him and worked quickly, throwing up goose eggs in the second, third, fourth and fifth. Anderson had a five-pitch fourth and followed that with an eight-pitch fifth.
White Oak tacked on, what proved to be, a couple precious insurance notes in the fifth. Naturally, it was Hood that started the engine with a lead double to right field. Thomsett, for the second time that afternoon, plated Hood with a perfectly-executed hitandRBI single to left.
Elijah Trest had worked a full-count walk and eventually crossed for the fourth Roughneck run when Sumrow dropped down an RBI sacrifice. In addition to multiple hits from Hood and Thomsett, Sumrow and Anderson each singled in the victory.