Mildred advances with 7-4 win

By Raymond Linex II

FRISCO May 17, 2008 12:10 am

— One game, one big inning, another round.
Mildred’s coin-flip call for a one-game playoff paid off as the Eagles upset No. 4 Gunter, 7-4, Friday night in the Region II-2A quarterfinals.
A big second inning in which they struck for the game’s first two runs on two hits ignited the win. The Eagles (26-4) face Crawford next.
“We came out that inning and we were aggressive,” Barber said.
Mildred struck in a big way. Trevor Burnett had two hits and two RBIs as the Eagles built a 7-0 lead in the top of the second thanks to seven hits, including singles from five of the first six batters.
The non-single was a fastball first baseman Austin Melton launched over the blue wall about 40 feet right of the 375 marking in center.
“I was looking for a first-pitch fastball,” Melton said. “It’s what Coach Barber had been telling us all week long.”
What ensued was a medley of hardly-highlight reel, yet extremely-clutch base hits that put a charge in Mildred’s faithful, outnumbered perhaps as much as 10 to 1.
Hot-hitting designated hitter Justin Aldama singled to right on the second pitch he saw, and Zach Thomas did the same. Against a drawn-in infield, freshman centerfielder Kevin Dozier lined a sharp grounder to first that deflected off the glove of diving first baseman Trevor Beaty and into shallow right for an RBI. It chased starter Brandon Pierce.
Miles Weaver followed with an RBI single, and with one out and runners on second and third, Gunter intentionally walked 6-5 third baseman Jake Shimonek to get to Drew Burnett.
It worked for the second out, but Trevor Burnett had another at-bat, and he lined a 2-2 pitch into right to score two more and make it 7-0.
The Eagles hung on from there behind senior ace Cory Roper, who won for the second time in the playoffs and improved to 10-2. He scattered six hits, three by leadoff hitter Jake Arrington. Three of the four runs were unearned.
“We jumped on them early and that’s what we wanted,” said Roper, who admitted the big inning gave him some self-assurance.
A breaking ball he could throw for strikes did, too, and the Eagles needed every one of his 10 strikeouts.
Arrington came on in relief in that second and quickly gave up two runs on two hits. He settled down, gave up three hits the rest of the way and retired the final 11 batters he faced. He struck out 12.
The Tigers got on the board in the third thanks to a few Mildred miscues. It started with an error by Weaver at short, allowing the leadoff hitter aboard. Then, Roper appeared to get a strikeout, but a balk was called. Five pitches later, Beaty drew a walk, and with one-out Arrington followed with a two-out single.
Roper induced two groundouts to keep the damage minimal.
Gunter added two more unearned runs in the fifth after a throwing error from Shimonek and another error on Weaver. With two on and no out, Roper induced a force out at third, and Shimonek’s throw to first on a double play attempt missed. Fortunately, it hit Gunter’s first base coach, allowing Melton to have a play at the plate on Hinson. It was close, but he was safe, and the Tigers added another run to cut it to 7-4.

Class 2A, Region II Quarterfinal
Mildred 7, Gunter 4
Mildred 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 — 7 10 3
Gunter 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 — 4 6 0

WP: Cory Roper
LP: Brandon Pierce
Top hitters: M: Miles Weaver 2-4, RBI, run; Drew Burnett 1-4, 2B; Trevor Burnett 2-4, 2 RBIs, run; Austin Melton 1-4, HR, 2 RBIs, run; Justin Aldama 1-3 run; Zach Thomas 2-3; Kevin Dozier 1-3, RBI, run. G: Jake Arrington 3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs; Colton Hinson 2-4, run.
Records: Mildred 26-4, Gunter 27-5.

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