The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity baseball team dropped game one of their Class 3A Regional Semi-Final play-off series with Iowa Park on Friday, 12-2.
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 23-10 overall on the year.
Chip Green pitched game one for the Wildcats, throwing four innings, giving up 12 hits, one walk and 12 runs, 10 earned, while striking out two batters.
Littlefield was unable to get anything going offensively in the top of the first inning, as Major McNeese lined out to Coyt Schmader in center field for out number one. Adam MacDonald would fly out to Gideon Towner in left field for out number two and Green popped up to CJ McNeill to retire the side.
In the home half of the first, Green recorded two quick outs, as Brayden Moreno flew out to Jakob Kirkland in right field and McNeill grounded out to Ian Mendez at shortstop, but AJ Ramirez would draw a walk to give the Hawks a base runner. Kane Decker ripped a shot in the right-center field gap that was missed on a diving attempt by Jakob Kirkland for a two-run inside of the park homerun, putting the Hawks in front, 2-0.
Green would bounce back, as Brayden Holster laid down a bunt that was fielded by Green and thrown to first for the out to end the inning.
In the top of the second, Jakob Kirkland flew out to Schmader in center field, but Dawson Adkins drew a walk to give the Wildcats their first base runner of the game. He would be left stranded, as Brayden Redman flew out to Maddox Bernard in right field and Adkins was caught stealing by Ramirez, as he was tagged out at second by McNeill to retire the side.
Green got Bernard to ground out to MacDonald at first base to begin the bottom of the second inning, before giving up a single to Colton Stewart. Green would get Towner to fly out to Gabriel Villanueva in left field for out number two and he got Schmader to line out to McNeese in center field to end the inning.
The Wildcats continued to struggle stringing some offense together in the top of the third inning, as Mendez popped up to Towner in left field for out number one and Jayden Kirkland struck out swinging for out number two. Villanueva singled on an error by McNeill at second base, but McNeese would fly out to Schmader in center field to retire the side.
In the bottom half of the third, Green got Moreno to fly out to Jakob Kirkland in right field for out number one. McNeill would single to right field and Ramirez followed it up with an RBI-triple to right field, pushing their lead to, 3-0. Decker singled on a bunt to Green, as Ramirez scored to stretch the lead to, 4-0.
Holster singled on a line drive to right field and Decker scored on an error by Redman, making the score, 5-0. Bernard hit a sacrifice grounder to Green on the mound, who got the out at first, as Holster scored from third, making the score, 6-0, with two outs. Green got Stewart to strike out swinging to end the inning.
In the top of the fourth, MacDonald led things off, popping up to Schmader in center field for out number one. Green was called out on a caught foul tip third strike for out number two, but Jakob Kirkland drew a walk to try and give Littlefield a spark. Adkins though would be thrown out at first on a dropped third strike.
The Wildcats got the Hawks to go three-up-and-three-down in the bottom half of the fourth, and in the top of the fifth, the bats finally came alive, as Redman singled to center field to lead things off. Mendez had a fly ball fall in left field on an error by Towner and Jayden Kirkland
Littlefield senior, Chip Green, deliveres a pitch, during game one of the Wildcats’ Class 3A Regional Semi- final Series against Iowa Park on Friday at Abilene Christian University. Green finished the game pitching four innings, giving up 12 hits, one walk and 12 runs, 10 earned, while striking out two batters.
(Staff Photo by Derek Lopez) singled on a single to right field to load the bases for Littlefield.
Villanueva struck out looking for out number one, but McNeese knocked an RBI-single to right field to get the Wildcats on the board, trimming the lead to, 6- 1. MacDonald hit a sacrifice fly to left field, as Mendez tagged up and scored from third, trimming the lead to, 6-2, with two outs. Green singled on a ground ball to Holster at shortstop, loading the bases, but Jakob Kirkland would ground out to Holster at shortstop, who flipped it to McNeill at second for the force out to retire the side.
Iowa Park would go off for six runs in the bottom half of the fifth to run-rule the Wildcats, 12-2, in game one of the Regional Semi-Final Series.