The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity baseball team dropped game two of their Class 3A Area play-off series to the Denver City Mustangs on Friday, 3-1, to force a game three.
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 22-9 overall on the year.
Chip Green pitched six innings for the Wildcats, giving up four hits, four walks and two runs, 0 earned, while Ian Mendez pitched 0.2 innings, giving up one hit, one walk and one run. Gabe Mata pitched 0.1 innings earning one strike out in the contest.
In the top of the first inning, Daniel Gonzales lined out to Mendez at shortstop for out number one, but Green would give up back-to-back walks to Andres Ornelas and Jonathan Martinez to give the Mustangs a pair of base runners. Samrey Garcia would ground out to Adam MacDonald at first base for out number two and Jacen Yanez flew out to Villanueva in left field to retire the side.
In the home half of the first inning, Major McNeese hit a hard grounder to David Franco at second base and reached on an error, advancing to second on the play. The Wildcats would leave him stranded, as MacDonald lined out to Erik Sinaloa in left field for out number one, Green flew out to Joaquin Hurtado in right field for out number two and Jakob Kirkland struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Littlefield defense went back to work in the top of the second inning, as Gavin Garcia grounded out to MacDonald at first base for out number one and Daniel Vasquez flew out to Gabriel Villanueva in left field for out number two. Green gave up a walk to Franco, before getting Sinaloa to ground out to Mendez at shortstop to retire the side.
The Wildcats couldn’t get anything going offensively in the bottom half of the second inning, as Dawson Adkins grounded out to Samrey Garcia at first base for out number one. Bradyn Redman popped up in foul territory to Hurtado in right field for out number two and Mendez struck out swinging to end the inning.
The pitcher’s duel continued into the third inning, as Green got Gonzales to ground out to Mendez at shortstop, Ornelas to ground out to Adkins at third base and he got Martinez to pop up to Adkins at third to retire the side.
Littlefield was unable to get anything going in the bottom half of the inning, as Jayden Kirkland, Villanueva and McNeese all grounded out to end the third inning.
The score remained deadlocked at, 0-0, until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Redman doubled on a line drive to center field. Mendez followed it up with a bunt for a single that was fielded by Vasquez at third, putting runners on the corners for the Wildcats. Redman would score on a passed ball to break the tie and put the Wildcats in front, 1-0, as Mendez advanced to third on the play.
The rally would come to an end, as Jakob Kirkland and Villanueva both struck out swinging and McNeese grounded out to Samrey Garcia at first base to end the inning.
Denver City would answer in the top of the sixth inning, as Samrey Garcia singled on a line drive to right field to give the Mustangs a base runner. He would steal second on a pitch, before Yanez flew out to right field for out number one. Gavin Garcia grounded out to Mendez at shortstop for out number two, but Vasquez drew a walk to make it a pair of base runners for the Mustangs.
Franco hit a fly ball to Redman at second base and reached on an error as two runs scored and Franco advanced to third on the play, giving Littlefield the lead, 21. Green would bounce back on the mound, as he got Sinaloa to ground out to him on the mound to retire the side.
MacDonald singled on a ground ball to Martinez at shortstop to begin the bottom of the sixth inning for the Wildcats, but Green lined into a double play to Martinez at shortstop, as MacDonald was doubled up at first base. Jakob Kirkland flew out to Martinez at shortstop to end the inning.
Mendez went to work on the mound, as he got Gonzales to ground out to Green at shortstop for out number one. Ornelas would single to center field and Martinez reached on an error by Adkins at third base, putting runners on second and third with one out for Denver City.
Samrey Garcia drew a walk to load the bases for the Mustangs, but Yanez hit a sacrifice grounder to MacDonald, who got the out at first base, as Ornelas scored to stretch their lead to, 3-1. Gabe Mata took over on the mound, as he got Gavin Garcia to strike out swinging to retire the side.
The Wildcats, though, would go three-up-and-three-down to end the game, setting up a deciding game three on Saturday.