Timely hitting, solid pitching push Georgetown past Ray in UIL baseball playoffs
SAN ANTONIO — Georgetown right fielder Landon Hyle walked to the plate in the fifth inning seeing an opportunity. The Eagles loaded the bases against Ray and were down a run, and Hyle seized on that opportunity.
Hyle stroked a single through the hole between the third and second to score two runs, seizing the momentum back from the Texans as that single helped spur a 7-2 victory against No. 1 Ray to sweep a Class 5A regional semifinal series at North East ISD Baseball Stadium.
The Eagles tacked on one more run in the fifth and three in the sixth but in a game — and series — where hits were hard to come by, Georgetown kept finding ways to come up with clutch ones.
"Basically with the bases loaded, two outs, you've got to hit a knock somewhere ... somewhere in the gap," said Hyle, who was 1 for 4 on the night with the two RBI. "It got to two strikes and I knew that he would spin the curve ball a lot, (I) had to put it where it was pitched. It was pitched right inside, so I took it through the six hole into left field."
The Texans seized some early momentum with two runs in the second inning but Georgetown starter Jacob Hadden settled down and stymied the Texans the rest of the way, allowing four hits and the two runs.
The victory came a night after the Eagles won a 4-2 10-inning thriller in Game 1 and now await the winner of the series between Sharyland Pioneer and Buda Johnson.
"I got to give hats off to Georgetown, they battled until the end," Ray coach Orlando Ruiz said. "They just got that timely hitting, we just couldn't put two or three hits together and that's what happened at the end of the game."
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Class 5A regional semifinal
Game 2
Friday's highlights: Ray vs. Georgetown
Ray broke the ice when third baseman Darion Montoya hit a single down the third base line to give the Texans a 2-0 lead in the second inning. But after that inning, Ray struggled against starter Jacob Hadden as Hadden retired 12 straight at one point. The Eagles, meanwhile, cut the lead to 2-1 when Texans starting pitcher Christian Martinez was called for a balk in the second inning. But in the fifth, the Eagles took advantage of three walks and Landon Hyle hit a two-run single for a 3-2 lead. Georgetown added four in the sixth, two coming on a throwing error and another an RBI single by E.J. Davis.
Friday's stars
The two teams combined for eight hits as no player had multiple hits in the game. Hyle finished the night 1 for 4 with two RBI, and Davis also had an RBI. Ty Klaus-Kisamore scored two runs in the victory. Hadden, meanwhile, pitched the complete-game, striking out six with no walks and allowing four hits with two earned runs. Montoya finished 1 for 3 with two RBI as Keevyn Goss and Nick Talavera each scored runs. Ray starter Christian Martinez gave up four hits but allowed six walks to go with three strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
They said it
Georgetown coach Jordon Vierra on showing patience in the fifth to draw the walks that led to two key runs: "It's what our guys continue to do all year. We have a pretty good idea of what we are doing with the strike zone. We understand it's not one inning that's going to beat you, it's not one inning that's going to win. It's an accumulation of all those things. Our guys are going to continue to compete one pitch at a time and not worry about what's going to happen behind you. Only worry about where your feet are."
Landon Hyle on being ready after a 10-inning game on Thursday: "We were really prepared. We know Hadden always coming on the mound, giving us his best effort, always shoving out there for our defense. Our defense is winning ball games out here, putting our offense to the plate as much as they can. It definitely gave us a lot of confidence into this game, more comfort, more energy in the dugout, not as tight."
Ray catcher Mikey Everett on the season: "I'll remember the season ... my team. It's been one of the best ballclubs I've ever played on so I loved every second of it, enjoyed it all and I'm happy for my team."
Ray coach Orlando Ruiz on the season: "It was a great ride. These guys did awesome ... 16-0 (in district), we were ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the state. It's very hard to stay on top, but I love these guys. We battled every game. It was a stressful year but we had fun."
Len Hayward is a USA Today Sports Network Region sports director and the Caller-Times sports editor. Support more coverage like this by checking out our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Georgetown's timely hits key in series win vs. Corpus Christi Ray
