It was a preseason game which may serve as a bit of a preview of the competitiveness in the District 24-4A baseball race. Saturday the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears hung on to beat the West Orange-Stark Mustangs 6-5 at Don Gibbens Field.
Neither Coach Steve Griffith of LC-M nor Coach Shea Landry of the Mustangs pitched their ace in the game, but both teams got quality outings from pitchers that will be called on when the district rolls around to add some depth to the rotation.
Brennon Moore started for the Bears and gave Coach Griffith four shutout innings. He tired in the fifth and left the game with the bases loaded and LC-M leading 6-1. With the score 6-5, Mitchell Lee came in and quieted the Mustang rally in the fifth. Lee would earn the save pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
For West Orange-Stark Payton Robertson relieved starter Austyn Wolfford in the third inning and closed out the game for the Mustangs. Robertson was touched for just one hit in his 3 2/3 innings of work on the mound.
The hitting star was Vinny Hale for the Bears. Hale delivered clutch two-out hits in both the second and third innings to drive in three runs.
The Bears scored the first run in the bottom of the second. Lee led off with a walk and went to second on an error when Coby Roddy hit a liner to third which was caught for an out, but Aidan Anderson in trying to double up Lee made a poor throw that got away from Ryan Ragsdale at first. Lee advanced to third when Darren Blagburn made a leaping catch on a fly to right by Hayden Anderson. Hale lined a single to left to plate Lee.
LC-M tacked on five runs in the third. Peyton Choate hit a leadoff double that just eluded Grant Lapoint Teate in deep left centerfield. Drake Trawhon found the gap in right center to drive in Choate and legged it out for a double. Grant White singled sending Trawhon to third. Moore made the score 3-0 with a fly ball to the left field fence. After Lee walked Roddy drilled a shot off the centerfield fence. Pinch runner Pate Arena scored, but Lee could only advance as far as second leaving Roddy with a 350-foot single and a run batted in.
Robertson relieved Wolfford and struck out Anderson for the second out. Lee and Roddy moved up a base on a passed ball. Hale brought both runners home with a single to left field to make the score 6-0 after three innings.
The Mustangs rallied in the top of the fifth. K. J. Miller got it started by reaching first base after swinging at a strike three that got away from Bears’ catcher Grant White and moved to second on a wild pitch. Lapoint Teate hit a shot back through the box that Moore just missed grabbing that went into centerfield for a hit. A strong throw kept Miller at third, but Lapoint Teate advanced to second on the throw. Robertson grounded a single into left scoring Miller and sending Lapoint Teate to third. Moore was pulled after he walked Grant Anderson to load the bases.
Tyler McCorvey got Aidan Anderson to hit into a fielder’s choice for the first out Lapoint Teate scored to make it 6-2. Kam Williams walked to load the bases. Robertson scored on a wild pitch. Ragsdale hit a slow grounder to shortstop where Moore was moved after coming off the mound. He fielded the ball, but then off balance made a high throw that went all the way to the fence by the dugout. Anderson scored and the Mustangs had runners at second and third with just one out. Dallas got an rbi with a ground out to second scoring Williams to make the score 6-5 and sending Ragsdale to third.
After Blagburn was hit-by-pitch Lee moved from first base to become the Bears’ third pitcher. Blagburn stole second to put the go ahead run in scoring position, but Lee struck out Miller to end the inning. In closing out the win for the Bears Lee retired seven of the eight Mustang batters he faced, only walking Aidan Anderson. -Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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