PREP ROUNDUP: Nederland-PNG region quarterfinal set

Published 4:53 pm Saturday, May 11, 2019

Believe it, if you haven’t already. Nederland and Port Neches-Groves will square off in a best-of-three baseball playoff series.

Not a district series, a playoff series.

Nearly 24 hours after both teams earned doubleheader sweeps in the 5A area round, the Mid-County rivals have agreed to go home-and-home for the first two games, with Game 3 to be settled at Lamar University, if necessary. Nederland will host the first game at 7 p.m. Thursday, then PNG will be the site for Game 2 at 7 p.m. Friday, with Game 3 scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday at Lamar’s Vincent-Beck Stadium.

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It is not immediately known whether both teams have squared off in the UIL playoffs before. Nederland (20-10-2) beat PNG (20-13-1) in both District 21-5A meetings and came out the No. 2 seed in the district. PNG finished a game behind as the third seed.

Their playoff paths have been very much similar.

Both teams lost their opening games in the 5A bi-district round, but Nederland returned the favor with a doubleheader sweep at Galveston Ball, and PNG took a pair over Friendswood in Crosby.

Both Nederland and PNG were to play their respective area round series in Crosby until heavy storms forced the cancelation of all activities there. They got to play at or near home instead; PNG won a doubleheader over Shadow Creek on Friday, including a 12-inning marathon; and Nederland blanked Angleton twice at Bridge City.

Now, they’ll duke it out again, once at Metreyeon-Delahoussaye Field and another at The Reservation. PNG last played in this round two years ago, en route to a state championship. Nederland made it to this round last year, losing to Barbers Hill.

The winner will face the survivor of Tomball or Hutto vs. Magnolia West or Pflugerville. Tomball and West each had 1-0 series leads.

Also remaining in 5A: Georgetown or College Station will play either Leander Rouse or Porter in the 5A Region III quarters, and Santa Fe or Manvel will meet either Barbers Hill or Richmond Foster.

 

4A BASEBALL

GAME 1: SWEENY 2, BRIDGE CITY 1

SWEENY — It was definitely a nice pitcher’s duel between Sweeny senior and Texas A&M signee Caden Homniok and Bridge City junior standout Peyton Havard on Friday.

Sweeny (23-7) managed to get a couple infield single runs batted in and then held off a late seventh inning rally by the Cardinals (20-10-2).

3A BASEBALL

GAME 1: ORANGEFIELD 5, NEW WAVERLY 1

HUNTSVILLE — Blake Bradley got the nod in Game 1 for the Bobcats (19-10) and performed just as he hoped for the coaching staff. Bradley gave up a few hits but always got out of seemingly dire situations against the Bulldogs (19-9). Bradley used grounders and fly balls and let his defense make the outs. The great defense from the Bobcats all game long was a big help to Bradley as the game progressed.

In the second, fourth, fifth, sixth the Bulldogs would leave runners in scoring position thanks to Bradley’s bend-but-don’t-break pitching. Bradley would throw the complete game for the win as he allowed seven hits, had three strikeouts and two walks.

Mason Gonzales and Johnny Armstrong led the way for the Bobcats with the sticks. Gonzales was responsible for two RBI’s and the team’s only extra base hit in the fifth inning. Armstrong would score twice from the leadoff position and really get the rallies started for the Bobcats. The mass of the offensive production came in the final frame but those two found a way on base just about every at bat.

3A SOFTBALL

GAME 2: DANBURY 17, ORANGEFIELD 7

LUFKIN — After putting up a huge fight in Game 1 of their Class 3A Region III quarterfinal series against the Danbury Lady Panthers, the Orangefield Lady Bobcats saw a terrific season come to an end after Game 2 Saturday at Lufkin Hudson High School.

The Lady Panthers (26-5) squeezed out a 3-2 Game 1 victory in nine innings late Friday night over the Lady Bobcats (23-10) and then took a commanding 17-7 victory in five innings Saturday to nab the series.

The Lady Bobcats jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in Game 2 but the Lady Panthers exploded for a eight-run third inning and got up 10-5. The Lady Bobcats managed to cut it to 10-7 but the Lady Panthers finished the game with seven unanswered runs.

In Game 1 Friday Ryden Stanfield went 3-for-4 at the plate for the Lady Bobcats while Emma Humplik hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to tie the game up to force extra innings. However, the Lady Panthers snagged a run in the top of the ninth to hold on.

Danbury pitcher Brooklyn Swacker struck out 17 Lady Bobcats to get the win.

Information from The Orange Leader was used in this report.

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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