The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears completed a sweep of their Bi-District playoff series against the Diboll Lumberjacks on Friday at Don Gibbens Field. The Bears won the deciding game 9-2 in a game heard on KOGT.
For the second straight game Coach Steve Griffith used three pitchers to limit the Lumberjacks offense to just three runs in the series. Anthony Bandiero started and pitched four innings yielding just one run on four hits. The key for Bandiero was only two Diboll batters reached on either walks or hit batters. Reagan Burdette pitched two shutout innings, and Chris Bilbo closed the game out giving up one run in the seventh.
The Bears, who won the schools 69th playoff game, took advantage of control trouble by Diboll starting pitcher Tyler Webb to score all nine of their runs off him in the first four innings. Webb walked four and hit four batters. Seven of those base runners would eventually score for Little Cypress-Mauriceville.
John Beeson led off the first inning with a walk and got to third on a sacrifice and a ground out. Truman Franklin was hit by a pitch. Bandiero lined a double one hop off the fence that was just inside the right field line to score Beeson with the first run.
Bilbo got another key two-out hit with a single to left that scored Franklin and pinch runner Austin Smith. The Bears led 3-0 after one.
Diboll touched Bandiero for three singles and a walk to score a run with the bases loaded and only one out. Bandiero got a comebacker that he forced out a runner at the plate for the second out. He then retired the side with a groundball to short that Beeson made a good play fielding and throwing.
LC-M jumped the lead to 6-1 scoring three more runs in the second. Slade Green and Max Dileo were both hit by pitches. The two runners moved up a base when Beeson grounded out. Reid Saperstein walked to load the bases.
Michael Lee ripped a two-out hit to right center that scored Green and pinch runner Brett Burrows while sending Saperstein to third. When Webb made a pickoff throw to first to keep Lee close, Saperstein broke for home and stole it for the third run of the inning.
Three more Bears scored in the fourth. Dileo walked to start the rally. Beeson doubled down the left field line before Saperstein walked again to load the bases. Lee got his eighth run batted in of the series with a sacrifice fly to right. Franklin blooped a double to left that scored Beeson and Saperstein making the score 9-1 in favor of LC-M.
Coach Griffith emptied the bench for the last three innings getting just about everybody playing in the field and at the plate. The only player who did not see action was Jordan Alexander who had a splint on his left hand because of a dislocated pinky.
Little Cypress-Mauriceville will play Huffman Hargrave next week. Check KOGT.com for times and location of the playoff games.
Diboll 0 1 0 0 0 0 1- 2
LC-M 3 3 0 3 0 0 X- 9
Bridge City completed the sweep of Huntington, winning Game Two 8-1 in Jasper. Schuyler Thibodaux had three hits and three RBI’s. Peyton Havard got the win, striking out eight. BC will face Hardin-Jefferson in the second round.
Orangefield’s season ended with a 1-0 loss to Lufkin Hudson, the same score they lost in Game One. Down 1-0 the Bobcats had their one shot with bases loaded and one out in the sixth but couldn’t produce. Hudson pitcher Hunter Mayo, a UH signee, finished the game with a two hit shutout and nine strikeouts.
Deweyville lost to Iola in Game One 3-2 but battled back to win Game Two 9-3 to force a Game Three which will be Saturday at Baytown Sterling HS.
Vidor lost to Kingwood Park 5-4 to end their season.
Jasper completed a sweep of Silsbee, winning 8-1.
Nederland won twice Friday to take the series against Dayton.
Porter beat PNG 12-3 to force a Game Three on Saturday.
Kirbyville beat Rice 3-0 to advance.
SOFTBALL
The LCM Lady Bears took a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning in Game Two of their series with Huffman. But in the bottom of the seventh, Huffman hit a two run walk off homerun to end the Lady Bears season 2-1.
Bridge City saw their promising season end in the second round, losing to Liberty 4-0. Liberty swept the two game series.
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