Friday, May 17, 2019, Rusk Eagle Baseball Stadium -
The Cushing Bearkats ended the Shelbyville Dragon’s 21-game varsity baseball win streak by taking a 3-2 win in Game 2 with a 2-out rally in the final inning. Shelbyville had taken a 15-1 win in Game 1 and bounced back to take the series with a 7-4 win in Game 3. This advanced the Dragons to the Region III Semifinal round of the UIL baseball playoffs. Saturday’s Game 2 loss was Shelbyville’s first since a narrow 3-2 loss to Alto High School, on March 2, 2019, before district play began.
In Game 2 Cushing gained a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Gabe LeBlanc scored after reaching base on a walk and later scoring on a sacrifice fly by Thane Turner.
Shelbyville took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning when Grady Clay earned a free base after being walked and scored on a sacrifice fly by Trevor Wilbur deep to rightfield, and Kolby Parker scored later on an infield error, after reaching base as a hit-batter earlier. This score held up until the Bearkats were down to their last out in the bottom of the seventh, and final, inning. Cushing rallied when Deuce Garrett and Asa Dawson walked with two outs and were driven in to home with a game-winning hit by Bucky Guadarrama.
In Game 3 Kolby Parker gained a lead-off walk for Shelbyville and gave the Dragons a 1-0 lead when Sam Jones doubled to centerfield.
Cushing used scores from Asa Dawson and Alex Aparicio to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Shelbyville regained the lead at 4-2 with scores from Ty Merriman and Grady Clay during a rally in the top of the second inning.
Kaleb Campbell reached on a lead-off walk in the top of the third inning and extended Shelbyville’s lead to 5-2 when he alertly ran home on a Bearkats error.
Thomas Wallace reached base on a walk in the bottom of the fourth inning and helped the Bearkats cut the Dragon’s lead to 5-3 after scoring on fielder’s choice by the SHS infield.
Jordan Boykins legged out an infield hit in the top of the fifth inning and later gave Shelbyville a 6-3 advantage when he scored on a Kolby Parker base hit.
Thaddius Turner scored on a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth inning and pulled Cushing to within two runs of Shelbyville at 6-4.
Grady Clay scored the final run of the contest when he reached on an infield hit and later gave Shelbyville a 7-4 lead by rushing home to the plate on a teammates ground-out.
The Dragons now stand at 23-5 and will move on to the UIL State Baseball Region III Semifinal Round Playoffs versus the Simms Bowie Pirates. The Dragons and Pirates will face off at East Texas Baptist University Tigers Ballpark at 5 p.m.on Thursday, May 23, 2019 for Game1. Game 2 will follow thirty minutes after, Game 3, if necessary, will be at noon on Saturday at the same location.
