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‘We Have to Play Better’

Miscues again cost Cove in 6-1 loss in seeding contest against Midway
By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press
 
GEORGETOWN - The little things can win big ball games or they can leave you scratching your head pondering the ‘what ifs’.
 
Copperas Cove head coach Dusty Brittain was left doing the latter as the Bulldawgs had with three defensive miscues during a five-run inning and walked eight runners during their 6-1 loss to the Midway Panthers in the play-in game to determine the third and fourth seeds in the 2016 Region II 6A UIL State Baseball Playoffs.
 
The Dawgs, as they have many times this year, began strong with one run on two hits in the top of the first inning. After a lightning delay prolonged the start of the game, the Bulldawgs got the scoring started with a couple jolts off the bats of seniors Tim Bechtold and Michael Hays. Bechtold wrapped a shot up the middle to reach and, after a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Cameron Johnson pushed him to second, Hays connected with a shot to left field to break the scoreless tie.
 
A few defensive missteps then helped swing the tide toward the Panthers as a routine single to the outfield was misplayed on the first at-bat in the third inning and it just got worse from there.
 
Two routine bunts by the Panthers were also misplayed by the Cove defense allowing sacrifice fly balls and walked runners to plate runners for a pivotal five-run inning.
 
“It’s the little things like in that five-run inning,” said Brittain. “We have a lackadaisical error in the outfield on the first ball hit, then we can’t field a bunt a couple times. It’s just very small things we work on day in and day out that we didn’t come through on.
 
“Quite frankly, playoff teams make those plays. Yeah, they might score that inning but they don’t get five – they might get two at the most. Then it turns into walks, so we just have got to play better.”
 
The Dawgs had several opportunities to put points on the board with runners on in every nearly every inning but they were unable to come up with the clutch hits at the opportune times. A pair of strikes outs ended a one-out threat in the first inning, a double play ended a one-out threat in the second inning and another strikeout ended a two-out threat in the fourth.
 
The Dawgs managed a runner in the fifth and the seventh but they never made it past first base.
 
“Offensively, we strung together a couple hits in the first inning and had a guy on third with one out and go strike out, strike out,” said Brittain. “We did have some good at-bats but just couldn’t string anything together and that’s haunted us in every big game.”
 
Bechtold led the Bulldawg bats with a 2-for-3 outing and a run scored followed by Jeremi Hawkins (1-for-1), Hays (1-for-3, RBI), Terrance Chamberlin (1-for-3) and Neeko Kirk (1-for 3).
 
Juniors Caden Henderson and Chris Olivas led the Panthers’ sticks. Henderson was 3-for-4 with a run and Olivas was 1-for-2 with a run, two RBIs and two walks. Matthew Miles (2-for-3, R, BB) Steiler Harris (2-for-4, 2R), Bryce Johnigan (1-for-4, R) and Wade Sivess (1-for-3, RBI) also contributed offensively for Midway.
 
Senior Neeko Kirk suffered the loss for the Dawgs. He surrendered five earned runs on six hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings on the bump. Sophomores Jaylen Smith and Tyler Ingram, along with freshman Colby Jost, also saw time on the mound for Cove.
 
Junior Andrew Brown picked up the win for Midway (14-14-1, 6-6 in District 12-6A). He allowed one unearned run on six hits in seven innings on the mound. He also struck out six batters and walked one.
 
The little things have cost the Dawgs (16-10, 6-6 n District 12-6A) several games this season and Brittain knows if his team has any chance against the three-loss Naaman Forest Rangers (25-3-1, 12-2 in District 11-6A), they must clean that up.
 
“If we’re going to be able to make a splash in the playoffs, we have to play better,” he said.
 

Copperas Cove Leader Press

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Copperas Cove, TX 76522
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