Scoop27
05-31-2018, 09:16 AM
From the Brazosport Facts
SAN ANTONIO — It was oh so close for the Sweeny Bulldogs in Game 1 of their best-of-three series against Fredericksburg on Wednesday at Nelson Wolff Stadium, with the Billies coming up with the only run of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Losing close games is always tough, but losing one in the Class 4A Region IV final in the final at-bat after Sweeny (32-5) junior starter Caden Homniok dominated the Billies (29-6), is even tougher.
“Like coach (Javier) Solis told them right after, tomorrow can’t get here quick enough,” Sweeny head baseball coach Mark Durham said. “We wish we were in Victoria right now and it was 5 p.m. ready to play. We need to stay positive and understand that they are a good baseball team and we are going to bounce back tomorrow. We get another chance at 5 p.m. in Victoria.”
If a third game is needed, it will follow 30 minutes after Game 2 at Riverside Stadium.
The Billies started the seventh frame with Hobbs Price getting only their second hit of the game on a Texas leaguer to right field. Fredericksburg starting pitcher Riggs Threadgill came up and placed a bunt to the right side of Homniok who decided to go to second base but was too late to get Price.
“Back in the Boerne one gamer, they had three or four sac bunts, but we were able to throw out the lead guy at second, which is frustrating as a coach,” Durham said. “But they did that to us in the seventh inning when Blake (Benavides) couldn’t get the bunt out far enough and they got the lead runner on us and that is just like starting over where you were. It is frustrating, I don’t know if we were not there, I just don’t know.”
With no outs and two men on, Don Flannery followed with a bunt of his own toward third base. Homniok tried to make a play at third, tossing the ball with his glove. It went past the third baseman, but he retrieved the ball in time to keep the bases loaded.
Then came the Bulldogs’ only error of the ball game when Will Flannery lifted a short fly ball to left field, but Jackson Kiddy watched it glance off his glove to allow Price to score.
Kiddy was shallow enough that if he would have caught it, he could have thrown out the runner at home if he attempted to go.
“It is tough for our kids. Caden pitched phenomenally tonight, but we came up short,” Durham said. “We had to score when we had our opportunities, but we didn’t do it. Hats off to their guy who threw well, only allowing us three hits. It is frustrating.”
There were only six hits in the game, three by each team. Homniok didn’t allow Fredericksburg its first hit until T.J. Tomlinson ripped a shot to right field in the sixth. Up until then, the right hander had sat down Fredericksburg in order from the second through the fifth innings, coming up just an out away from making it through the sixth.
Sweeny had two opportunities at placing a run on the board, but LSU-bound Threadgill snatched both of those chances with fantastic defensive plays off the mound.
In the third frame, Nathan Nance singled off Threadgill to center field with one out. The No. 9 hitter, Cord Filipp, then lined a bullet toward Threadgill, who somehow snagged it then doubledNance off first base.
In the top of the fifth, there was almost the same scenario with Joe Effenberger lining a shot down the third-base line. With two outs, Nance got ahold of a Threadgill pitch and lined it back up the middle, with the Billie again using his glove to end the threat.
“I told the guys afterward, if we would have just knocked him off the mound, we could have had a chance,” Durham said. “We hit some rockets right at him, but he just caught both of them. I thought both were going up the middle and we’d at least score a run off one of those shots. That is kind of how our night was in a nutshell — almost but not quite.”
Homniok more than stood his ground against Threadgill, striking out five of the first nine batters he faced. He finished with nine strikeouts and a walk. Threadgill finished with four strikeouts and a walk.
Things will not be easier for the Bulldogs as they will face Baylor-bound Ryan Segner in Game 2.
“He is supposed to be real good and hopefully we can scratch a few tomorrow,” Durham said. “Ty Ringo, I think, will go for us, we will continue that conversation tonight.”
SAN ANTONIO — It was oh so close for the Sweeny Bulldogs in Game 1 of their best-of-three series against Fredericksburg on Wednesday at Nelson Wolff Stadium, with the Billies coming up with the only run of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Losing close games is always tough, but losing one in the Class 4A Region IV final in the final at-bat after Sweeny (32-5) junior starter Caden Homniok dominated the Billies (29-6), is even tougher.
“Like coach (Javier) Solis told them right after, tomorrow can’t get here quick enough,” Sweeny head baseball coach Mark Durham said. “We wish we were in Victoria right now and it was 5 p.m. ready to play. We need to stay positive and understand that they are a good baseball team and we are going to bounce back tomorrow. We get another chance at 5 p.m. in Victoria.”
If a third game is needed, it will follow 30 minutes after Game 2 at Riverside Stadium.
The Billies started the seventh frame with Hobbs Price getting only their second hit of the game on a Texas leaguer to right field. Fredericksburg starting pitcher Riggs Threadgill came up and placed a bunt to the right side of Homniok who decided to go to second base but was too late to get Price.
“Back in the Boerne one gamer, they had three or four sac bunts, but we were able to throw out the lead guy at second, which is frustrating as a coach,” Durham said. “But they did that to us in the seventh inning when Blake (Benavides) couldn’t get the bunt out far enough and they got the lead runner on us and that is just like starting over where you were. It is frustrating, I don’t know if we were not there, I just don’t know.”
With no outs and two men on, Don Flannery followed with a bunt of his own toward third base. Homniok tried to make a play at third, tossing the ball with his glove. It went past the third baseman, but he retrieved the ball in time to keep the bases loaded.
Then came the Bulldogs’ only error of the ball game when Will Flannery lifted a short fly ball to left field, but Jackson Kiddy watched it glance off his glove to allow Price to score.
Kiddy was shallow enough that if he would have caught it, he could have thrown out the runner at home if he attempted to go.
“It is tough for our kids. Caden pitched phenomenally tonight, but we came up short,” Durham said. “We had to score when we had our opportunities, but we didn’t do it. Hats off to their guy who threw well, only allowing us three hits. It is frustrating.”
There were only six hits in the game, three by each team. Homniok didn’t allow Fredericksburg its first hit until T.J. Tomlinson ripped a shot to right field in the sixth. Up until then, the right hander had sat down Fredericksburg in order from the second through the fifth innings, coming up just an out away from making it through the sixth.
Sweeny had two opportunities at placing a run on the board, but LSU-bound Threadgill snatched both of those chances with fantastic defensive plays off the mound.
In the third frame, Nathan Nance singled off Threadgill to center field with one out. The No. 9 hitter, Cord Filipp, then lined a bullet toward Threadgill, who somehow snagged it then doubledNance off first base.
In the top of the fifth, there was almost the same scenario with Joe Effenberger lining a shot down the third-base line. With two outs, Nance got ahold of a Threadgill pitch and lined it back up the middle, with the Billie again using his glove to end the threat.
“I told the guys afterward, if we would have just knocked him off the mound, we could have had a chance,” Durham said. “We hit some rockets right at him, but he just caught both of them. I thought both were going up the middle and we’d at least score a run off one of those shots. That is kind of how our night was in a nutshell — almost but not quite.”
Homniok more than stood his ground against Threadgill, striking out five of the first nine batters he faced. He finished with nine strikeouts and a walk. Threadgill finished with four strikeouts and a walk.
Things will not be easier for the Bulldogs as they will face Baylor-bound Ryan Segner in Game 2.
“He is supposed to be real good and hopefully we can scratch a few tomorrow,” Durham said. “Ty Ringo, I think, will go for us, we will continue that conversation tonight.”