by Wayland Clark
DRIPPING SPRINGS – Tiger baseball advances to the Area round of the 5A Region IV playoffs to meet San Antonio Jefferson after a shutout Bi-district win over Georgetown on Saturday afternoon.
photo by Wayland D. Clark, wfotos.com
After losing the first game Thursday night 3-1 in a 14-inning marathon against visiting Georgetown, the Tigers came back to win 6-1 at Georgetown Friday night, and won the rubber match 4-0 at home in the best of three game series. Head coach Chris Payne said Friday’s must win game was a catalyst. “Our bats got hot and we were able to execute the small ball game and our kids were unselfish – nobody cares who it is – it’s all a ball team.”
In the opening game of the series, the Tigers led 1-0 until the Eagles tied the game in the top of the seventh inning. Georgetown took the lead for good with a 2-run home run in the top of the 14-inning to win 3-1. “I don’t know that we played together. We got ahead and kind of just went complacent,” Payne said about the loss, “like we were on cruise control coming into the seventh inning so after that the message was, ‘Stay together, play together, and win together.’ ”
On the mound for the Tigers Saturday, Mitchell Bockelman and Nico Ruedas combined for a one-hit shutout with Ruedas coming in relief in the top of the seventh inning ending a Georgetown threat on a ground out with a pair of runners on base. Dripping Springs got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning when Dylan Wolfe drove in Luke D’Alesandra who reached base on a bunt. Ryan Kimble drove in two more runs with a double to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. Georgetown walked a run in with the bases loaded for the Tigers in the bottom of the sixth inning.
