(Hallettsville) — The Navarro Panthers evened their best-of-three UIL Class 4A Baseball Area round series with Sealy in a marathon 3-2 win in 11 innings on Friday night in Halletsville.
Tiger ace and future Texas Lutheran Bulldog Garret Nedd cruised through the first five innings keeping the Panthers hitless. Navarro would finally break through in the 6th inning when consecutive singles by Landun Taylor and Marco Moncada each plated Navarro baserunners to put the Panthers on top for the first time in the ball game at 2-1.
Navarro would hold the one-run lead until Sealy right fielder Roy Thompson lead off the bottom of the 7th inning with a solo shot to right off Panther starter Blaine Pircher. Pircher would give way to reliever Caleb Thomas after the Thompson homer. The senior went 6-plus innings giving up only two runs allowing only four hits while striking out a pair.
The game remained tied until the top of the 11th, when Navarro would get a run on a throwing error by Sealy catcher Dylan Aguado. Panther Matthew Villanueva was at the plate facing a full count with Bryce Nall at second base and Gavin Newborg at first. Villanueva took ball four and Aguado threw down to third past third baseman Braden Tyler allowing Nall to come home and score the go-ahead run.
In the bottom of the 11th, Nedd lead off with a double for Sealy but he was caught off the bag after Panther left fielder Nall got the ball into the third baseman Villanueva. Nedd would be tagged out by second baseman Ryan Tatom after he received a relay from Villanueva. Thomas, still on the mound for Navarro got the next two batters out to end the game.
Thomas picked up the win by going five shutout innings in relief, striking out four. Friday night’s win by the Panthers evened the series at a game apiece. The Tigers won game one on Thursday, 4-3.
Game three is scheduled to take place Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Hallettsville. We will have the game on KWED. Our pregame coverage will start at 12:45 p.m. on AM 1580 and streaming at SeguinToday.com.
Should weather postpone the game on Saturday, game three could be rescheduled for Monday.
(Jourdanton) — In the Class 3A baseball playoffs on Friday, Marion was eliminated from the playoffs by Jourdanton. The Indians took down the Bulldogs 10-0 to win the best-of-three area round match-up, 2 games to none.