The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity baseball team clinched their Bi-district series with Dalhart on Saturday, taking Game 2 of the series, 12-2, at Caprock High School With the win, the Wildcats improved to 21-8 overall on the year.
Chip Green pitched a complete game, throwing six innings for the Wildcats, giving up two hits, one walk and two runs, 0 earned. He also had four strikeouts in the contest.
“Pitching did a phenomenal job, just getting up on the mound, being competitors and doing everything that they’ve done all year,” Head Coach Jett Hartley said. “They treated it like another game, didn’t make the situation bigger than it was and gave us an opportunity to score some runs.”
Green got Talon Garcia to strike out swinging to begin the game, but Hunter Trusler singled on an error by Gabriel Villanueva in left field to give Dalhart a base runner. Lil Bird was hit by a pitch, and Trusler stole third on a pitch, before Kevin Rios grounded out to Bradyn Redman at second base for out number two. Trusler scored on the play to make the score, 1-0. Green would get Kreed Hines to pop up to Adam MacDonald in foul territory at first base to retire the side.
Major McNeese got the Wildcats going in the home-half of the first with a line drive to left field and MacDonald drew a walk, putting runners on first and second for the Wildcats with no outs. The runners pulled off a double steal, before Green singled on a line drive to the left side to score McNeese, tying the game, 1-1.
Green stole second to get into scoring position, before Jakob Kirkland struck out swinging for out number one. Dawson Adkins laid down a bunt that was fielded by Geo Barron, who tagged Green out advancing to third, before throwing to first for the double play. MacDonald, though, would score to put the Wildcats in front, 2-1.
The Wolves were kept quiet in the top of the second inning, as Green got Braxton Akin to ground out to Ian Mendez at shortstop for out number one. Kyler Read reached on a dropped third strike that got by Jayden Kirkland behind the plate to give Dalhart a base runner, but Tony Vasquez flew out to McNeese in center field and Barron grounded out to Adkins at third base to retire the side.
The Wildcats were unable to get anything going in the bottom half of the second, as they went threeup- and-three-down to take the game into the third frame.
Dalhart threatened early in the third inning as Garcia and Trusler had back-to-back singles to give the Wolves a pair of base runners. But, Green would recover on the mound, as he got Bird to pop up to Mendez at shortstop for out number one. Rios popped up to MacDonald in foul territory for out number two and Hines struck out swinging to retire the side.
In the bottom half of the third, Villanueva drew a lead-off walk and McNeese laid down a bunt on the third-base side and an error by Barron on the play allowed Villanueva to score and McNeese to advance to third, making the score, 3-1. MacDonald hit a sacrifice fly ball to Garcia in center field, as McNeese tagged up and scored from third to push their lead to, 41.
Green grounded out to Barron at third base for out number two, but Jakob Kirkland roped a double to center field and Adkins followed it up with an RBI-double to center field to extend their lead to, 5-1. Redman would line out to Vasquez a second base to end the inning.
Littlefield made quick work of the Wolves in the fourth inning, after giving up a lead-off walk to Akin, Read laid down a sacrifice bunt that was field by Jayden Kirkland and thrown to first for the out. Vasquez hit into a fielder’s choice to Green on the mound, who got the out at first, as Akin advanced to third on the play with two outs. Barron would ground out to Adkins at third base to retire the side.
In the bottom half of the inning, Littlefield broke the game wide open, as Mendez led things off with a lead- off walk. Jayden Kirkland pushed a sacrifice bunt to Vasquez at second base, who got the out at first, as Mendez advanced to second on the play. Villanueva drove in a run with a single up the middle to stretch the lead to, 6-1.
McNeese showed bunt before slashing a single through the right side to put runners on the corners for Littlefield. McNeese would steal second, and Villanueva would score on a passed ball to make the score, 7-1, as McNeese advanced to third on the play.
Green drove an RBI-single to center field and Jakob Kirkland followed it up with an RBI-double up the middle to make the score, 9-1. Hines relieved Trusler on the mound for Dalhart, asAdkins hit a sacrifice chopper to Rios at shortstop, who got the out at first, as Green scored to make the score, 10-1, with two outs. Redman would strike out swinging to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Garcia singled on an error by Adkins and took second on a throwing error to first to give Dalhart a base runner. Garcia would advance to third on a passed ball, before Trusler hit a sacrifice fly to left field that was caught by Villanueva, as Garcia tagged up and scored from third, to trim the lead to, 10-2. Bird, though, would hit a short fly ball to Redman at second base and Rios flew out to Jakob Kirkland in right field to retire the side.
The score would stand until the bottom of the sixth inning, when McNeese, MacDonald and Green strung together three consecutive singles to load the bases for the Wildcats. Jakob Kirkland grounded into a fielder’s choice to Rios at shortstop, who got the out at second, as McNeese scored and MacDonald advanced to third, making the score, 11-2, with one out.
MacDonald would score on a passed ball to walk it off, as the Wildcats took their Bi-district series against Dalhart, 2-0, with a, 12-2, win in game two.
“I’m a small ball guy,” Coach Hartley said. “We went and scouted them the week before and saw some things that I thought we could pick on them with. And then if ain’t broke don’t fix it; Dalhart wasn’t able to make that adjustment. Our guys know what type of offense I try to run and they executed better than I’ve ever seen. I don’t usually bunt that much, but a huge shout out to our guys buying into our small ball and being able to execute it. I totaled it up and we had one missed bunt all weekend, and then you’re able to string it together with 10+ hits, it makes it really special.”
The Wildcats will take on Denver City in the Class 3A Area Round of the Play-offs beginning with Game one on Thursday at 4 p.m. Game two will be on Friday at 5 p.m. and Game three if needed will be on Saturday at 11 a.m.
All games will be played at Lubbock- Cooper High School.