Trophy Time: ’Cats claw back from deficit to claim Region I crown

The No. 3 Aledo Bearcats got knocked down on the mat following a 3-1 defeat in the opening game of their regional final best-of-three series against Colleyville Heritage. Like a strong-willed protagonist, Aledo clawed its way back into the series through resilience, production, and execution. As a result, the ’Cats claimed Game Two by a final score of 4-1 and used that momentum to propel them to a series-clinching 13-2 victory in five innings.

“Game One definitely startled us a little — we weren’t prepared to lose that game,” Aledo designated hitter Lucas Nawrocki said. “When our starting pitcher went down (with an injury), we knew it was going to be a battle. We still put good swings on the ball in Game One, some of them just got caught. We knew we were going to come out hacking in Game Two the same way, and the hits carried over into Game Three.”

Following the low-scoring first game, Aledo had a matchup featuring its ace pitcher Devin Miller versus the Panthers’ top pitcher, Jobe Reed. The Bearcats got a jump on the scoreboard after Luke Trager’s RBI single drove in a pair of runs. Aledo added two more runs in the fourth inning, courtesy of an RBI single to right from Brooks Burdine, followed by a beautifully-executed RBI bunt single by Luke Gladchuk for a 4-0 lead.

The Panthers managed to scrape a run across in the fifth inning, but Miller worked in tandem with his defense to get out of key jams. Whether it was an impressive strikeout from Miller or a hose throw from Gladchuk — that ricocheted off the cut-off man’s glove and into the mitt of catcher Brennon Evans — for a clutch tag out at home, the Bearcats continued to find ways to hold Colleyville Heritage at bay.

“Coming back from yesterday with our backs against the wall against their best pitcher, we knew we had to beat their best to get to Game Three,” Bearcats head coach Chad Barry said. “To come out the way we did with two (runs) in the first and third (innings), spoke volumes that our kids were up to the challenge. Today was just about finishing what we started yesterday. They were very disappointed in their performance Thursday and wanted to right that wrong.”

The rubber match saw Luke Sandefur take the mound for the Bearcats while the Panthers seemed to be searching for answers on the mound from the opening pitch. While Sandefur shined, the Aledo offense relished the opportunity and opened up a barrage to take control of the game early.

“You start getting into Game Three’s, it becomes more of a war of attrition and becomes a matter of who can get into whose bullpen the fastest,” Barry said. “I think a lot of times that the team that has the deepest bullpen, the deepest pitching staff as a team usually has the advantage this time of year because everybody can hit, play defense, and pitch well with their top-end guys. The more depth you have, especially out of the bullpen, the bigger advantage you have as the series goes on.”

Aledo went through its entire batting order on two separate occasions during the regional-final clincher and scored eight runs in the second inning alone. Burdine opened up scoring with a bases-loaded RBI single to left that sent two Bearcats across home plate. Later, Blake Burdine plated two more runs with his own RBI single and RBI hits from Trager, Nic Foster, and Evans increased the advantage to 8-0. The Bearcats added three more runs in the following frame — a Landon Barnes RBI single, Burdine scoring on a wild pitch, and a towering Nawrocki RBI double to deep centerfield. The rout was on as Aledo’s lead swelled to 11-0 after only nine outs of baseball. Aledo responded to a fourth-inning run by Colleyville Heritage with a pair of runs in the fifth. The Panthers were able to produce one more run before their season ended at the claws of the ’Cats via run rule.

The Bearcats now have their sights set on the state semifinals, still in pursuit of their first state championship since 2015, and all hands have been on deck the entire way.

“It makes it really special,” Nawrocki said. “Last year, we only had a few key players. For these (younger) guys to step up this year and show it on the field is remarkable. We’re swinging the bat well, we’re throwing it well — we just keep doing what we’re doing, we’re gonna be good. It’s an awesome feeling.”

For the series, Gladchuk finished 3-for-8 with three runs scored and one RBI while Trager went 5-for-10 with one run scored and three RBI. Nawrocki produced 3-for-9 with one run scored and two RBI while Brooks Burdine 4-for-8 with one run scored and three RBI. Blake Burdine 3-for-11 with three runs scored and two RBI while Duran went 2-for-9 with four runs scored. Foster 1-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI while Barnes 2-for-8 with two runs scored and an RBI. Evans also chipped in, going 1-for-8 with an RBI.

In Game One, Ethan Hodo pitched 4.2 innings with one strikeout while surrendering five hits, two runs, and one walk. Teryn Byrne and Tanner Tovar combined to pitch the remaining 1.1 innings of the contest in relief. In Game Two, Miller earned the win and went the distance. He pitched all seven innings and struck out six batters while allowing one run, four hits, and four walks. In Game Three, Sandefur earned the win as he pitched 4.1 innings with five strikeouts while allowing two runs, two walks, and four hits. Byrne came in relief to secure the final two outs, allowing one hit and one walk.

The Bearcats (29-8, 10-0) will move on to face the No. 22 McKinney North Bulldogs (19-12-1, 8-6) with series details to be announced for a spot in the Class 5A Division I state title game.