The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears were riding a 19-game winning streak at home Friday night. The visiting Huffman Hargrave Falcons paid no attention to that and won Game 1 of their best of three series with LC-M 4-2 at Don Gibbens Field.
Falcon starting pitcher Tyler Price was right for Huffman holding the potent Bears’ bats to just four hits. Price walked two and struck out eight to earn the complete game victory.
Coach Steve Griffith used his rotating pitching strategy to take advantage of a perceived advantage in pitching depth for LC-M. The Bears used five different pitchers with only Taylor Gilbert throwing more than an inning and a third.
Huffman left the bases loaded in the first without scoring. Anthony Bandiero walked the bases loaded before striking out Camron McMahon to end the Falcons’ threat.
The Bears almost were given a gift run in the bottom of the first. John Beeson drew a one-out walk. He was forced at second by Michael Lee. Truman Franklin struck out, but the pitch got away from catcher Grant O’Neal who then threw wildly to first base. Lee hustled around the bases, but he was thrown out at the plate on a good throw by the right fielder Ben Leisure. Coach Griffith did question whether the tag was made, not very vehemently.
Bandiero continued to struggle in the second inning being touched for an infield hit and a single on a no ball, two strike pitch. The next batter Luke Bailey walked to load the bases, and Griffith took Bandiero out replacing him with Gilbert.
The Falcons took the lead 1-0 when Gilbert walked the first batter he faced O’Neal to force in a run. Gilbert got out of further trouble by picking the runner off second and then striking out Leisure.
The third inning saw the Bears threaten again when Jordan Alexander reached on an error and Beeson walked for the second time. Both moved up a base on a wild pitch.
Lee hit a soft liner on a 3-2 pitch right at third baseman Matthew Dorcz for the second out. Franklin flew out to left to end the inning.
Gilbert started his fourth inning of work in the fifth. O’Neal hit a pop down the first base line that landed just fair for a hit. Leisure walked, the fourth free pass issued by Gilbert and the eighth by the first two Bears’ pitchers.
With one out Will Johnson hit a double to the center field fence driving home O’Neal. An intentional walk loaded the bases for Dorcz who rifled a liner past Gilbert’s head and glove into centerfield. Two Falcons scored to up the Huffman lead to four runs.
LC-M got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Gilbert hit a lead off double to right center. Max Dileo hit a two-strike pitch to center sending Gilbert to third. Alexander hit a grounder in the hole to left that scored Gilbert and sent Dileo to third with no outs.
Price pitched maybe his best stretch to the next three batters with the Bears threatening to get back in the game. First, he struck out the hot hitting Beeson. Next, Lee hit a grounder to first that scored Dileo with the second run, but was the second out. Franklin ended the rally with a grounder to shortstop.
The Huffman righthander finished strong. Price retired the last nine Bear batters he faced including four strikeouts and the side in order in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Game 2 of the series will be played Saturday in Crosby at 4:00 PM on KOGT. The Bears need to win to force a third game immediately following the second.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
HH 0 1 0 0 3 0 0- 4
LCM 0 0 0 0 2 0 0- 2
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