The Bearcats won 10-0 in game one in only five innings due to run-rule and 7-1 in game two.
There was a late hiccup to the series since Aledo believed for several days (up until hours before the first game) it was going to play Colleyville Heritage in the bi-district round.
News broke that defending 5A Division II state champs Grapevine were withdrawing from the playoffs due to playing an ineligible player for most of the season. That affected Colleyville Heritage’s district and the rest of the teams’ standings enough that now the Bearcats would be playing Denton Ryan one day later in a best-of-three series.
The Raiders had finished fifth in their district and were going through the whiplash of accepting their season was over to now playing an Aledo team that was on a quest to defend its 5A Division I state championship. The Bearcats showed them why in the first inning of game one played a day later at Northwest High School.
After allowing no base runners in the top of the first inning, Aledo got to work. Wilson Sehnem was able to get on base thanks to an error at second base. Luke Gladchuk followed with a double before Landon Barnes drove in one run with a single. Dylan Duran followed with a single that drove in another run.
After Reid Huffman drew a walk to load the bases, Will Cayce grounded out to second base, but it drove in one run. A wild pitch allowed another run to come in and score before Kyle Poindexter hit a sacrifice fly ball to left field that drove in a run as well.
Despite two outs, the Bearcats were not done. Jackson Loos, Connor Whitmire, and Sehnem each drew walks to load the bases again before Gladchuk was hit by a pitch so one runner could come in and score.
Barnes hit a ground ball to the pitcher which resulted in an error that allowed another run to score before the next batter flew out for out three. Aledo led 7-0.
Garrett Love got his first playoff start on the mound for the Bearcats. Despite a clean first inning, he ran into some trouble in the second inning. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with only one out. He got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout to first base.
In the fourth inning until Aledo got back on the board. Barnes led off with a double before Duran hit a ball clear over the left field wall for a two-run home run as the Bearcats lead grew to 9-0.
In the fifth inning, Aledo was one run away from ending the game early due to run-rule. Whitmire got things going with a one-out single. Following a pop out for out two, Whitmire stole second base before Gladchuk was hit by a pitch. Next batter Barnes came through with a double that drove in the one run the Bearcats needed.
Aledo won 10-0.
Duran led the team with three RBI and a home run. Barnes was second with two RBI while leading the team with three hits, two of them being doubles.
As a team, the Bearcats finished with 10 hits, four walks and were hit by two pitches.
On the mound, Love only had that one rough stretch in the second inning. He got the five-inning shutout, giving up only two hits while striking out seven batters. The defense committed no fielding errors.
Coach Chad Barry was unsure if his team was too relaxed heading into game one, but the confidence showed in the performance.
“I told them make sure you understand this is a different type of baseball,” Barry said. “I know the opponent just found out they were back in the playoffs yesterday, but that makes them a dangerous opponent. They have been granted a second life and they have nothing to lose so you are going to get their best shot.”
Aledo did not have as many offensive fireworks in game two, but did have some fireworks on the mound in terms of strikeouts, something that usually happens when Lucas Nawrocki gets a start.
The start of game two looked like it might be muted after a double play wiped out a leadoff walk from Sehnem, but Barnes hit a triple into the gap. An error from Denton Ryan getting the ball back into the infield allowed Barnes to come home to put the Bearcats up 1-0.
In the second inning, Aledo added to the lead. Cayce and Loos drew walks and Poindexter hit a single to load the bases up with no outs. Whitmire and Sehnem drew back-to-back walks to get runs across the board.
After a strikeout, Barnes hit a single to drive in another run as the Bearcats led 4-0 before an inning-ending double play.
Nawrocki ran into some trouble in the same inning after striking out the side in inning one. After a leadoff single, two batters later a Raider hitter hit a line drive to the fence for a double that drove in Denton Ryan’s lone run of the series, cutting the lead to 4-1.
After a walk, Nawrocki recovered to strike out the next batter before catcher Whitmire picked off the runner at second base for out three.
The Raiders threatened again in inning three. A one-out walk, a two-out single followed by a hit batter loaded the bases for Denton Ryan with two outs. Nawrocki was able induce a ground out to the second basemen for out three to get out of the jam.
Aledo bats were rewarded for discipline, loading the bases up with three straight walks that sent the Raiders’ starting pitcher to the bench. Next batter Gladchuk came through with an RBI single. One run scored during the next at-bat thanks to a wild pitch before Duran drove in another run on a sacrifice fly ball.
Aledo led 7-1.
From there the Bearcats’ pitching and defense closed out the game. Nawrocki struck out the last six batters he faced, totaling 12 for the game, before Dane Browne came in to pitch the final two innings of relief. He struck out five of the six batters he faced, not allowing a base runner as Aledo held on to win.
Barnes led the team with two RBI and two hits, with one being a triple. As a team, the Bearcats finished with six hits while drawing eight walks.
Barry knows his team has the luxury of a deep pitching staff and flawless defense when they play their best, allowing for games where the offense does not have to carry the effort.
“Our batters know that our pitchers have got their backs and they can relax and have good at-bats, it can take a lot of pressure off them,” Barry said. “Its part of the same old cliche we say every year, we are going to hang our hat on our pitching and our defense.”
Aledo is next scheduled to play Paschal in the area round this week in a best of three series. Game one is scheduled to be at 7:30 p.m. on May 7 at home. Game two is also scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on May 8 but at Paschal. If a game three is needed, it is scheduled for 1 p.m. on May 9, but a location has not been released as of press time.
Bearcats 10, Denton Ryan 0
RHE
Ryan 000 00 - 0 2 2
Aledo 700 21 - 10 10 0
Aledo offense: Dylan Duran two hits, one home run, three RBIs, two runs; Landon Barnes three hits, two doubles, two RBIs, two runs; Luke Gladchuk one hit, one double, one RBI, one run; Kyle Poindexter one hit, one RBI; Will Cayce one RBI; Reid Huffman one hit, one run, one walk; Jackson Loos one hit, one run, one walk; Connor Whitmire one hit, one steal, one walk; Wilson Sehnem one run, one walk.
Aledo pitching: Garrett Love (W) five innings, zero runs, seven strikeouts, three walks.
Bearcats 7, Denton Ryan 1
RHE
Aledo 130 300 0 - 7 6 0
Ryan 010 000 0 - 1 3 0
Aledo offense: Landon Barnes two hits, one triple, two RBIs, one run; Luke Gladchuk one hit, one RBI; Wilson Sehnem one RBI, one run, three walks; Dylan Duran one RBI, one walk; Connor Whitmire one RBI, two walks; Kyle Pointdexter two hits, one triple, one run; Jackson Loos two runs, two walks; Will Cayce one hit, one run.
Aledo pitching: Lucas Nawrocki (W) five innings, three hits, one run, 12 strikeouts, two walks; Dane Browne two innings, zero hits, zero runs, five strikeouts.
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