The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity baseball team run- ruled the Dalhart Golden Wolves on Friday, 11-0, in six innings during the first game of their Class 3A-DI Bi-district series at Caprock High School.
With the win the Wildcats improve to 20-8 overall on the year.
Major McNeese started on the bump for the Wildcats, pitching five innings, giving up one hit and one walk, while earning seven strikeouts. Gabriel Villanueva pitched the final inning, giving up two hits and one walk.
In the top of the first inning, McNeese laid a bunt down on the third-base line and beat the throw to first to give Littlefield their first base runner of the game. Adam MacDonald pushed a bunt between first and second and nobody covered first base, giving the Wildcats a pair of base runners. Chip Green drew a walk to load the bases and Jakob Kirkland hit a sacrifice fly ball to Talon Garcia in center field, that allowed McNeese to tag up and score from third, making the score, 1-0. Dawson Adkins flew out to Garcia in center field and MacDonald was doubled up at second base to retire the side.
Garcia chopped out to Adkins at second base to begin the bottom half of the inning for Dalhart, but Hunter Trusler and Lil Bird were both hit by a pitch, giving the Wolves a pair of base runners. McNeese got Kevin Rios to pop up a bunt to him on the third-base side for out number two and Kreed Hines struck out swinging to end the inning.
Both teams went scoreless in the second inning, but in the top of the third, McNeese chopped out to Kines at first base for out number one. MacDonald drew a walk and Green laid down a bunt that was fielded by Bird in front of the mound, who got the out at second for out number two. Jakob Kirkland drew a walk and the runners pulled off a double steal to advance to second and third, before Adkins ripped a two-RBI single passed Tony Vasquez at second base to push their lead to, 3-0. Bradyn Redman would ground out to Geo Barron at third to retire the side.
In the home-half of the third inning, McNeese got Garcia to ground out to Green at third base for out number and he got Trusler to line out to Jakob Kirkland in right field for out number two. Bird hit a chopper in front of the plate that Jayden Kirkland was late getting to, as he reached base to give Dalhart a base runner. He would get caught stealing, as McNeese picked to first base, MacDonald would throw to second, as Ian Mendez slapped the tag on Bird to end the inning.
Mendez drew a lead-off walk to begin the fourth inning and Jayden Kirkland followed it up with a bunt to second base, putting two runners on as Blayton Soliz came on to run for the catcher. Villanueva laid down a bunt that was fielded by Bird in front of the mound, but nobody was home at first base, loading the bases for Littlefield.
McNeese hit a sacrifice fly ball to Trusler in left field, that allowed Mendez to tag-up and score from third to extend their lead to, 4-0. MacDonald laid down a sacrifice bunt to first base that was fielded by Hines, who tagged MacDonald out in the base path, as the runners advanced to third and second with two outs. Green ripped a two-RBI single over third base to stretch their lead to, 6-0, and Jakob Kirkland followed it up with a hitand- run single to right-center field, putting runners on the corners. Adkins, though, would chop out to Barron at third base to retire the side.
Rios got the Wolves going In the bottom half of the fourth with a single on an error by Adkins at second base and Hines laid down a bunt that was fielded by McNeese, who got the out at first, as the runner advanced to second with one out. McNeese would get both Braxton Akin and Kyler Read to strike out swinging to end the inning.
The Wildcats went back to work offensively in the top of the fifth inning, as Redman singled on an error by Rios at shortstop. He would take second on a pitch, before Mendez laid down a bunt on the first-base side and was tagged out by Hines, as Redman advanced to third on the play. Jayden Kirkland laid down a bunt on the first-base side that was fielded by Bird, who got the out at first as Redman scored to push their lead to, 7-0.
Villanueva and McNeese drew back-to-back walks, before pulling off a double steal to get into scoring position. MacDonald would knock a two-RBI single up the middle to push their lead to, 9-0, before Green flew out to Trusler in left-center field to retire the side.
The Wolves were kept quiet in the bottom of the fifth and in the top of the sixth, Jakob Kirkland drew a lead-off walk and Adkins followed it up with a single up the middle. Redman laid down a bunt on the first-base side, that was fielded by Hines, but nobody was home at first base to load the bases for Littlefield.
Mendez ripped a two- RBI double into the left-center field gap to make the score, 11-0, before Jayden Kirkland struck out swinging for out number one. Read relieved Bird on the mound for Dalhart, as he got CJ Weaver to strike out looking and McNeese to chop out to Hines at first base to retire the side.
Villanueva relieved McNeese on the mound in the bottom of the sixth, as he got Bird to line out to Mendez at shortstop for out number one and he got Rios to chop out to Green at third base for out number two. Hines singled to right field and Akin hit a chopped in front of the plate that was fielded by Villanueva, but the throw to first was not in time.
Read drew a walk to load the bases for Dalhart, but Vasquez chopped out to Villanueva on the mound to end the game, as Littlefield took game one, 11-0.