Hawks battle Bulldogs in bi-district playoff

MARSHALL, Texas — Pleasant Grove begins its playoff journey today against Kilgore in a 3-game series.

The Hawks (19-9) and the Bulldogs (16-9) meet in a 4A bi-district series at Marshall High School. The first game is at 8 p.m. today, and Game 2 is noon Saturday. A third game, if needed, will follow.

“Kilgore comes from a very competitive district, so they are well tested,” Pleasant Grove head coach Riley Fincher said. “They have played good baseball and are extremely athletic. They can run the bases really well. Their pitchers, a couple of lefties, do a great job in changing speeds. They have had a lot of success in the past few years. They are well coached and it will be competitive.

“For us, it starts on the mound. Our pitchers need to full up the strike zone. We want to limit the number of opportunities that Kilgore will have offensively. We have to do whatever it takes to get on base; whether it’s a hit, hit-by-pitch, walk or an error. We are going to have to be mentally tough especially when playing late today and early tomorrow.”

The Hawks are the District 15-4A champions and have a No. 1 seed, while Kilgore finished fourth in District 16-4A.

Blake Jennings could get the start on the mound for Pleasant Grove in Game 1 or Game 2. Likely starters for the Hawks include shortstop Brenton Clark, third baseman JM Long, first baseman Travler Couch, catcher Josh Brown, second baseman Jarrett Halter, center fielder Brock Bearden, right fielder Alex Galvan and designated hitter Cade Martin who bats for left fielder Kaden McFadden.

“Our guys are excited to start the playoffs,” Fincher said. “Our season has kinda been up and down. We played some really good ball and other times we haven’t played well. Our kids are resilient and have worked hard. We are ready to play. There is nothing like baseball playoffs in the state of Texas. We are excited.”

The winner plays either Van or Kaufman in the area round next week.