Sweeny-Boerne baseball game story

From the Brazosoport Facts

WEIMAR — Continuing with their hot bats and some strong pitching, the Sweeny Bulldogs defeated the Boerne Greyhounds 7-1 in a one-game playoff Friday.

The Class 4A Region IV quarterfinal win at Veterans Memorial Park Strickland Field means the 30-3 Bulldogs move on to face the winner of Cuero and Devine, which went to a third game in their series Friday.

Sweeny was in control from the start in this one.

“Don’t tell my heart that or my high blood pressure,” said Sweeny coach Mark Durham, smiling after the win. “We jumped out 2-0 in the first inning and once you have to start playing catch up with some of the guys we have on the bump, it is tough. But that is a good hitting team.”

Facing Caden Homniok on the mound for the Bulldogs and a 2-0 lead, the Greyhounds stranded six runners in the first two innings.

In the first with two outs and the bases loaded, Homniok coaxed a groundout off the bat of Bryson Flisowski to end that threat. Then, in the second, again with the bases loaded, he got starting pitcher Cole Lane to fly out to right field where Quinton Martin made a nice grab on a ball that was going away from him, to again get out of a jam.

Homniok went 3 2/3, giving way to lefty Ty Ringo, who turned in quite a relief performance with eight strikeouts and no hits in his 4 1/3 innings of work.

“Ty had probably thrown three innings since tournament season and he did a fantastic job tonight,” Durham said.

Ringo was pleased with how he did on the mound after Homniok.

“I came out because I only had a fastball and a change-up and I had a short warmup in the bullpen and just came in and executed,” Ringo said. “I hit my spots, but I also had my backup behind me.”

Homniok got things going in the top of the first for the Bulldogs with an infield hit to the shortstop. After a sacrifice bunt by Ringo, Homniok was left standing at second base with one out.

During Martin’s at-bat, Homniok made it to third base as the catcher from Boerne tried to catch him stealing, but instead the ball sailed away from the third baseman and the Bulldogs led 1-0.

After a walk to Martin, Blake Benavides got a hold of a Lane fastball over the right fielder to make it 2-0, with Martin scoring from first base and Benavides smacking a triple.

That early lead was quite important because Homniok did struggle a bit with hit batsmen and walks. That’s how he got in trouble early in the first two frames.

“If it wasn’t for the walks and hit batters, he got his pitch count up tonight,” Durham said.

Homniok finished with 95 pitches and six strikeouts before making way for Ringo in the fourth with two outs, two runners on base and a couple of balls to Jake Chapman.

Ringo came in and fanned Chapman, who went down looking at strike three.

Three consecutive doubles by Jaden Bohlar, Nathan Nance and Cord Filipp to start the fourth gave the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead.

Sweeny got three more runs in the fifth off three more hits, with Bohlar getting a bloop single to left field to drive in Martin who had started the frame with a stand-up double to center field, 5-1.

Filipp also drove in a run that frame with his double to the gap in left field, which made it 7-1.

The Greyhounds ended up stranding 11 runners and only got three hits against Homniok.

Boerne scored its only run in the fourth and finishes the season at 27-6