Longview Spring Hill vs Bridge City 2 out of 3 in Lufkin

[Old Cardinal]

We have a big one coming up in Region III baseball.
Spring Hill ranked mostly at #2 vs Bridge City ranked mostly at #3 square off with both Coaches wanting (and setting) a three game series.

One good team advances and one good team goes home. BC will probably throw three Juniors and one Sophomore in this series. SH has a host of good older seasoned Pitchers to offer up for the games.
This is now down to the top 16 left in the Regional Semi-finals across the state.

With season-long #1 Cuero eliminated there is still four tough Region IV teams in the mix Bellville vs Robtown and Giddings vs Sinton. The fur will fly down in Region IV: I have been impressed with the pugnacious of the two Reg. III Districts that dropped down into IV and how well they have handled themselves. Also, I see that West, another team that played in Region III is hanging quite tough and gets to take on Brownwood, who is touted as the best over that way.

Good luck to all the 16 teams that have made it this far.

Regional Semi-finals is a great accomplishment in a potent 3A array of sound teams.

[lostaussie]

Looks like great weather to get all the games in!!! good luck to the Panthers.

[lulu]

Spring Hill has two senior pitchers Garrett Methvin and Jake Fudge. A Junior Zack Zilinger and a sophmore Dylan Brown.
Methvin has some stuff and the young sophmore was brough in at the end of the last game to finish the last out. 3 pitches and it was done.
They work hard and never underestimate their opponent.

We're looking to advance.:D

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Originally posted by lulu
Spring Hill has two senior pitchers Garrett Methvin and Jake Fudge. A Junior Zack Zilinger and a sophmore Dylan Brown.
Methvin has some stuff and the young sophmore was brough in at the end of the last game to finish the last out. 3 pitches and it was done.
They work hard and never underestimate their opponent.

We're looking to advance.:D what is Garrett Methvin record and era? Been hearing hes tough to beat.

[lulu]

I'll have to get back to you with that. :thinking:

[lulu]

Sorry ....I have not come up with a current stat for Methvin.
I'll keep trying.:thinking:

[Old Cardinal]

Garrett Methvin is 12-1 on the year for SH.
He gave up five hits in the last outing with Robinson. Of the five hits four were doubles.
On offense SH had no extra base hits with no players with more than one hit.

That was a close game with the score ending 4-3 over Robinson.

BC dropped a couple of games to a stout Nederland Bulldog team early in the season.
I see that District winner Nederland is steaming through the 4A brackets. They were hard to handle by a 3A and evidently 4As can't manhandle them either..LOL

About all BC can present is they played a tough schedule against 4As & 5As and the three winners in their District were rated in the top 20. They win the District on a regular basis and have some players with Bracket games under their belt from several years past.

Should be a great contest starting at 7:30 pm at the Lufkin Hudson diamond north of the loop in Lufkin.

[lulu]

thank you "Old Cardinal:

I knew the Robinson numbers. I was kind of looking for overall season stats.

I take it you are a BC fan. Are you going to the game? I will be there.
Sounds like your guys are pretty tough. Playing and beating a bunch of 4A and 5A teams and beating them consistantly is pretty impressive.

Best of luck to BC...but I have to say "better luck to SH"
We don't expect it to be easy at this stage of the game(no pun intended) but don't dismiss us.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

BC coach feels they're the underdogs and he was a member of two Nederland teams that went to the state semifinals in 1995 and 1997.

[Old Cardinal]

He is probably right....but for many years we have entered each bracket game feeling we are the underdogs.

Next year we will be loaded we have hauss pitching that will prime-out about next year. We hit pretty well/hard and that is our edge(if we have one) against this fine team.

[sinton66]

Once you get to the final 16, there's no "pretenders" left. All the games at this level should be good. Good luck to both teams, and I hope my Pirates get to see one of you in Austin.;)

[lulu]

Aint no underdogs in this match up. They are both great teams. We know we are going have to bring our best and so do they. We all know it can go either way on any day at this level.

I am ready to go!!!!!! Right now!!!!!

Hope to meet
Old Cardinal at the game.:cheerl: :cheerl: :cheerl: :cheerl: :cheerl:

[Old Cardinal]

Boy what an awesome opportunity for the Cardinals, they get to play the #1 team in 3A in Texas!

We will be packing more powder just knowing this fact. Most teams never get to square up against what the Coaches and others think are the very best!

If anyone is coming through Huntington, TX in route; there is a great meat market/resturant to eat at. It is off the highway behind the Post Office about 500 yards distance.

See you there!:)

[Old Cardinal]

Panthers focused on playoff series

Listen to this article or download audio file.Click-2-Listen
By JACK STALLARD

Thursday, May 28, 2009

A week ago, the Spring Hill Panthers climbed from No. 2 to No. 1 in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association poll, rallied to win game one of its best-of-three regional quarterfinal series against Waco Robinson and then held off a late charge by Robinson to win game two and capture the series.

Panther head coach Griff Mauldin is counting on senior leadership to get Spring Hill through another hectic week. ...one that includes graduation ceremonies for Spring Hill sandwiched between a regional semifinal series opener tonight and the conclusion of the series Saturday against No. 3 Bridge City.
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''The one thing we've preached the last couple of weeks, especially to our seniors, is to not let all of the distractions that go on this time of year get in the way,'' Mauldin said. ''You have to put the blinders on. Our minds need to stay focused on what our goal is.''

The goal, for both Spring Hill and Bridge City, is a berth in the regional finals next week.

Spring Hill won three thrilling games a week ago, opening with 4-0 shutout of Mexia on Tuesday and then doing a quick turnaround to rally from a 3-0 deficit early for a 6-3 win on Thursday in game one against Waco Robinson. Two days later, the Panthers built a 4-0 lead and held on for a 4-3 victory to close out the series.

Tyler Johnson belted a three-run home run, Ryan Small doubled and homered and Miles Peloquin doubled and drove in a run to lead the way on offense in the opening game. Jake Fudge (6-1) earned the pitching win.

In game two, Garrett Methvin (12-1), who had fanned 17 in a two-hitter against Mexia on Tuesday, came back to fan 11 and earn the win in the deciding game against Robinson. Methvin had help from Dylan Brown, who recorded the final out in the seventh to earn his second save of the year.

Mauldin said he hasn't settled on a game one starter tonight, although Methvin (1.19 ERA, 158 strikeouts), Fudge (3.04 ERA), Zach Zeilinger (6-0, 1.08 ERA) and Brown (3-0) are all available.

''I've got four guys I trust, and I don't have a problem putting any one of them out there in any situation,'' the coach said.

Offensively, Peloquin leads the team with a .527 average to go along with two home runs and 24 RBI. Methvin is a .415 hitter with five home runs, Small (.383, 6 HR), Ryan Lacy (.375), Brown (.361, 3 HR), Johnson (.354, 4 HR), Brandon Arden (.330), Nico Moran (.326) and Fudge (.310) are all hitting .300 or better as part of a team batting average of .356. Seven different Panthers have at least 20 RBI, and nine players have hit home runs this season.

''I think that just speaks of our depth up and down the lineup,'' Mauldin said. ''We have guys at the top of the order getting the job done, but what has really helped lately is what the bottom of the lineup is doing. The last couple of games, Tyler Johnson, Jake Fudge and Ryan Lacy. ...those guys are either driving in big runs or finding ways to get on to set up the top of the order.''

Bridge City won the first and third games of its series against Orangefield a week ago, and the foursome of Matt Hicks, Caleb Kellog, Luke Rhodes and Blake Hubbard did most of the offensive damage for the Cardinals.

Hicks was 8-for-9 with three doubles, Kellog 4-for-8 with a double, triple and two RBI, Rhodes 4-for-10 with two home runs and four RBI and Hubbard 5-for-11 with two home runs, a double and four RBI in the series.

Hicks and Kellogg earned the pitching wins for the Cardinals. Hicks fanned seven and walked two in game one and Kellog had five strikeouts and six walks in the deciding game.

''We know Bridge City is a good ballclub with lots of tradition,'' Mauldin said. ''We just need to focus on the little things, play our game and see what happens.''

* * *

[lulu]

Originally posted by Old Cardinal
Boy what an awesome opportunity for the Cardinals, they get to play the #1 team in 3A in Texas!

We will be packing more powder just knowing this fact. Most teams never get to square up against what the Coaches and others think are the very best!

If anyone is coming through Huntington, TX in route; there is a great meat market/resturant to eat at. It is off the highway behind the Post Office about 500 yards distance.

See you there!:)

I am afraid Huntington may be shut down. Everyone in Nac watching the 1 game showdown with SH. May have to eat somewhere else.

[Old Cardinal]

Yes, I forgot about the Huntington vs SH softball game. That town really backs their great Softball team; with one of the winning-est long-term records in all of softball.-

[lulu]

We won!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so tired and so proud for our kids. The Spring Hill Softball Team won Region 3 tonight 6-1 over Huntington.

The baseball team won game one of our best 2 of 3 series over Bridge City 8-7 in 10 hard fought innings. We used 3 pitchers
and fought all the way through. They are a good team. Just one more win and for us on Saturday and we can advance. Hope it turns out that way.

To all my new Pirate ( and all others)who so graciously welcomed me here....Goodnight. I worked really hard tonight. I need to rest now. Panther town is happy but tired.:clap: :clap: :D

[BuckeyeNut]

Gratzs on the win:clap: :clap:

Love seeing East Texas teams go deep:D :D