The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity baseball team took game one of their Class 3A Area Play-off series over Denver City on Thursday, 50, at Lubbock Cooper High School to take a 1-0 series lead.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 22-8 overall on the year.
Major McNeese pitch a one-hit shutout for the Wildcats, going seven innings, giving up one hit and one walk, while earning eight strikeouts.
In the top of the first inning, McNeese drew a lead-off walk to begin the contest and Adam MacDonald followed it up with a sacrifice bunt to Samrey Garcia at first base, moving McNeese to second with one out. Chip Green had a single fall in shallow center field and the runners pulled off a double steal to take second and third, before Jakob Kirkland hit a sacrifice fly to center field, that allowed McNeese to tag-up and score from third to put the Wildcats in front, 1-0.
Dawson Adkins would hit a short pop up to Jonathan Martinez at shortstop to retire the side.
In the home-half of the first, Daniel Gonzales drew a lead-off walk, but McNeese got Ornelas to strike out swinging for out number one. Martinez hit a sacrifice grounder to Mendez at shortstop, who got the out at first, as Gonzales advanced to second on the play. McNeese would get Samrey Garcia to ground out to Mendez at shortstop to end the inning.
In the top of the second, Bradyn Redman laid down a bunt that was fielded by the pitcher, Andres Ornelas, who got the out at first for out number one. Mendez singled through the left side to give the Wildcats a base runner, but Jayden Kirkland lined out to Martinez at shortstop and Gabriel Villanueva hit a ball up the middle that hit Mendez on the base path to retire the side.
McNeese went back to work on the mound in the bottom half of the inning, as he got the Mustangs to go three-up-and-three-down to end the inning.
McNeese got the third inning going with a chop to Martinez at shortstop, as he reached on a throwing error to first to give the Wildcats a base runner. MacDonald singled between first and second on an error and Green hit into a fielder’s choice to David Franco at second base, who got the out at second for out number one, leaving runners on the corners.
Green took second on a pitch, before Jakob Kirkland laid down a two-RBI bunt. The throw to first was dropped, as McNeese and Green scored to push their lead to, 3-0. The rally would end when Dawson Adkins lined out to Martinez at shortstop and Jakob Kirkland was tagged out at second as he was stealing on the pitch.
McNeese stayed strong on the mound in the bottom of the third as he got both Franco and Erik Sinaloa to strike out swinging and he got Gonzales to ground out to Mendez at shortstop to end the inning.
In the top of the fourth, Redman grounded out to Jacen Yanez at third for out number one, but Mendez followed it up with a double over third base and Jayden Kirkland kept it going with a shot to first off of the glove of Samrey Garcia. The Mustangs were late getting to the bag as Franco over threw first allowing Mendez to score and Jayden Kirkland to take second on the play, as Blayton Soliz came on as the courtesy runner for the catcher.
Villanueva laid down a sacrifice bunt to first to move Soliz over to third and McNeese followed it out with an RBI-single to left field to stretch their lead to, 5-0, before MacDonald popped up to Samrey Garcia at first base to retire the side.
A pitchers duel commenced over the next few innings with both teams going three-up-and-threedown, until the bottom of the seventh when the Mustangs came up to bat.
McNeese got Ornelas to ground out to Adkins at second base for out number one and Martinez grounded out to Green at third base for out number two. Samrey Garcia poked a single past a diving Green at third base to break up the no-hit bid, but McNeese would get Yanez to fly out to Redman in center field to end the game, as Littlefield took game one, 5-0.