Post by CatFan4Ever on Jun 4, 2011 17:53:59 GMT -6
Rider versus Burleson in Region I-4A finals, Game 3
thru 6 innings
ABILENE -- Rider gave Game 3 starter Blake Burrus a lead before he even took the mound on Saturday afternoon with four runs in the top of the first.
The Raiders, trying for a second straight Region I-4A title, got started with one out with a Gage Green double to right field. Cameron Allen singled him home and then scored on a weird hit-and-run play where Ben Smith bounced the ball to third and Burleson threw it away.
Blake Brom made it 4-0 with an opposite-field home run.
Rider then scored twice in the second to go up 5-2. Burrus lasted into the third before giving way to Game 1 starter Cameron Allen, who got out of a jam.
The Raiders added four more in the fourth, picking up three runs. Kyler Ritchie had a two-run triple to center to force another pitching change.
Rider scored twice more in the fifth, extending to 11-3, on a double by Allen, a single by Ben Smith, a sacrifice fly by Christien Sager and an error on a ball hit by Blake Brom.
The Raiders loaded the bases with one out in the sixth and Allen up, needing two runs and three outs to clinch a trip to Round Rock. They got the two runs on a grounder by Allen that the Elks failed to turn two on and then a throwing error on a steal attempt made it 13-3. Smith hit a triple to make it 14-3.
After falling down 4-0, Dalton Deleon drilled a two-run double of Ritchie's head in center field in the bottom of the first, chopping the lead in half. Burrus was able to strand two runners and keep the lead at 4-2. He did throw 34 pitches in the first inning, 21 of them strikes.
Rider was back at it in the second with a run on an RBI single by Gage Green. And then the Raiders loaded the bases with one out and Burleson made a pitching change with Lane Tahmahkera, a lefty, taking over for Sabo Murray.
The change worked as Tahmahkera came back from 3-1 to get Ben Smith to pop out and then Sager flied out to right on a nice running catch by Brian Russell.
Burrus hit the No. 8 hitter to start the second and eventually allowed him to score on a balk to cut the lead to 5-3. He retired Murray on a short fly ball and struck out Levi Scott on a curve in the dirt to end the threat, stranding Brandon English at second.
Rider failed to score for the first time in the third, although the Raiders loaded the bases on a single by Brom, an error and a walk. Green struck out on three pitches to end the inning.
Burrus was pulled after back-to-back singles by Tahmahkera and Eric Gonzales with one out in the bottom of the third. Allen put out that fire with a grounder back to the mound and a strikeout.
Rider had hits from Allen, Sager (an RBI), Brom and Ritchie in the three-run fourth. Ben Bates got caught off first on purpose, drawing a wild throw from the pitcher and allowing Ritchie to score the ninth run of the game.
Allen had the first three-up, three-down frame of the day in the bottom of the fourth.
thru 6 innings
ABILENE -- Rider gave Game 3 starter Blake Burrus a lead before he even took the mound on Saturday afternoon with four runs in the top of the first.
The Raiders, trying for a second straight Region I-4A title, got started with one out with a Gage Green double to right field. Cameron Allen singled him home and then scored on a weird hit-and-run play where Ben Smith bounced the ball to third and Burleson threw it away.
Blake Brom made it 4-0 with an opposite-field home run.
Rider then scored twice in the second to go up 5-2. Burrus lasted into the third before giving way to Game 1 starter Cameron Allen, who got out of a jam.
The Raiders added four more in the fourth, picking up three runs. Kyler Ritchie had a two-run triple to center to force another pitching change.
Rider scored twice more in the fifth, extending to 11-3, on a double by Allen, a single by Ben Smith, a sacrifice fly by Christien Sager and an error on a ball hit by Blake Brom.
The Raiders loaded the bases with one out in the sixth and Allen up, needing two runs and three outs to clinch a trip to Round Rock. They got the two runs on a grounder by Allen that the Elks failed to turn two on and then a throwing error on a steal attempt made it 13-3. Smith hit a triple to make it 14-3.
After falling down 4-0, Dalton Deleon drilled a two-run double of Ritchie's head in center field in the bottom of the first, chopping the lead in half. Burrus was able to strand two runners and keep the lead at 4-2. He did throw 34 pitches in the first inning, 21 of them strikes.
Rider was back at it in the second with a run on an RBI single by Gage Green. And then the Raiders loaded the bases with one out and Burleson made a pitching change with Lane Tahmahkera, a lefty, taking over for Sabo Murray.
The change worked as Tahmahkera came back from 3-1 to get Ben Smith to pop out and then Sager flied out to right on a nice running catch by Brian Russell.
Burrus hit the No. 8 hitter to start the second and eventually allowed him to score on a balk to cut the lead to 5-3. He retired Murray on a short fly ball and struck out Levi Scott on a curve in the dirt to end the threat, stranding Brandon English at second.
Rider failed to score for the first time in the third, although the Raiders loaded the bases on a single by Brom, an error and a walk. Green struck out on three pitches to end the inning.
Burrus was pulled after back-to-back singles by Tahmahkera and Eric Gonzales with one out in the bottom of the third. Allen put out that fire with a grounder back to the mound and a strikeout.
Rider had hits from Allen, Sager (an RBI), Brom and Ritchie in the three-run fourth. Ben Bates got caught off first on purpose, drawing a wild throw from the pitcher and allowing Ritchie to score the ninth run of the game.
Allen had the first three-up, three-down frame of the day in the bottom of the fourth.