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THE WOODLANDS, Texas--With two of the top pitchers in the area facing each other, Wednesday’s District 14-5A baseball opener at Scotland Yard promised to be a low-scoring, tight dual. Had the rules been changed to allow for just two outs per inning, that highly-anticipated showdown would have materialized.
Instead, the Cavaliers outlasted the Highlanders in a wild 14-11 slugfest as sloppy as yesterday’s playing field that left a drained packed house wondering what had happened. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed because of rain.
Neither The Woodlands’ Jameson Taillon nor College Park’s John Simms got much help around them. Taillon’s night ended with two outs in the fifth inning. He got no decision. Five Highlanders errors didn't bring the flamethrower much luck on St. Patrick's Day.
Simms went the distance, throwing 287 pitches. O.K. it was actually 132 pitches. It only seemed like almost 300.
Simms struck out the side in the seventh to close it out and even his mark at 1-1. He struck out 13, walked five and yielded nine hits.
The Cavaliers (8-5) maintained its stronghold on their neighboring rivals, extending their win streak to eight games over the Highlanders (10-4), who came into the game ranked No. 3 in the state.
College Park swept all five games between the two teams in 2009, including three in district play and two more in a region quarterfinals series. The eight-game win streak over The Woodlands dates back to the final two meetings of the 2008 season.
The Highlanders last won over College Park on March 19, 2008, at Scotland Yard in a 9-6 decision.
Michael Aquino’s three-run homer, his second roundtripper of the game, in the top of the seventh was the difference on Wednesday. Aquino had three hits, scored three runs, and drove in four more to highlight College Park’s 14-hit attack.
The Cavaliers batted around in the first inning, scoring four times on just three hits. The visitors took full advantage of two Highlanders’ errors, a passed ball and a hit batsman.
Bret Mooney was hit by a pitch with one out, moved to second on a passed ball and went to third on a ground out. Pat Young started the two-out merry-go-round with a RBI-single, plating Mooney.
Young was the first of five players to reach base. Aquino doubled and scored behind Young when Corey Toups reached on a throwing error. Jay Young chased Toups home with a single to cap the explosion.
But the Highlanders answered with a four-spot of their own in the third inning in eerily similar fashion. Andrew Godail doubled and Spencer Davis was hit by a pitch before Alex Dunlap slapped a playable ball through the infield to score Godail. Nick Frey made the Cavaliers pay with a towering three-run game-tying homer.
The Cavaliers regained the lead 6-4 in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI-single by Mooney, who moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error. Mooney’s hit plated Tom Malambri, pinch-running for Joe Vandrick, who opened the inning with a single. Malambri advanced to second on an errant pick-off throw and reached third on a wild pitch.
The Highlanders scratched across a run in their half of the fourth on a two-out single by Davis, a walk to Anthony Azar, and a RBI-single by Daniel Homann to narrow the gap to 6-5.
But College Park continued to swing a hot bat, scoring five more times in the fifth to take an 11-5 lead. Aquino and Toups opened the flood gates with back-to-back skyrocket homers to dead center field.
Keenan Cook bounced a two-run single and Simms added a RBI-single. Young, who reached on an error and advanced to third on two wild pitches, and Malambri, running for Vandrick, who walked, scored after an Alberto Liz infield pop was not caught and Cook’s single.
Simms’ single plated Joe Lucy, who was running for Liz.
But the scoring was far from done.
Frey blasted a homer to open the Highlanders’ fifth inning, a six-run, three-hit frame that tied the game 11-11. Jonathan Walthall and Elliot Richoux were hit by pitches and both scored on a single by Godail and a wild pitch.
Davis walked and along with Godail scored on a game-tying, three-run homer by Azar.
But Aquino blasted his second homer of the game, a two-out, three-run blast to right field, giving the Cavaliers a 14-11 lead. Cook, who opened the inning with a double, and Ross Ellison, running for Simms, who was hit by a pitch, scored in front of Aquino.
Instead, the Cavaliers outlasted the Highlanders in a wild 14-11 slugfest as sloppy as yesterday’s playing field that left a drained packed house wondering what had happened. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed because of rain.
Neither The Woodlands’ Jameson Taillon nor College Park’s John Simms got much help around them. Taillon’s night ended with two outs in the fifth inning. He got no decision. Five Highlanders errors didn't bring the flamethrower much luck on St. Patrick's Day.
Simms went the distance, throwing 287 pitches. O.K. it was actually 132 pitches. It only seemed like almost 300.
Simms struck out the side in the seventh to close it out and even his mark at 1-1. He struck out 13, walked five and yielded nine hits.
The Cavaliers (8-5) maintained its stronghold on their neighboring rivals, extending their win streak to eight games over the Highlanders (10-4), who came into the game ranked No. 3 in the state.
College Park swept all five games between the two teams in 2009, including three in district play and two more in a region quarterfinals series. The eight-game win streak over The Woodlands dates back to the final two meetings of the 2008 season.
The Highlanders last won over College Park on March 19, 2008, at Scotland Yard in a 9-6 decision.
Michael Aquino’s three-run homer, his second roundtripper of the game, in the top of the seventh was the difference on Wednesday. Aquino had three hits, scored three runs, and drove in four more to highlight College Park’s 14-hit attack.
The Cavaliers batted around in the first inning, scoring four times on just three hits. The visitors took full advantage of two Highlanders’ errors, a passed ball and a hit batsman.
Bret Mooney was hit by a pitch with one out, moved to second on a passed ball and went to third on a ground out. Pat Young started the two-out merry-go-round with a RBI-single, plating Mooney.
Young was the first of five players to reach base. Aquino doubled and scored behind Young when Corey Toups reached on a throwing error. Jay Young chased Toups home with a single to cap the explosion.
But the Highlanders answered with a four-spot of their own in the third inning in eerily similar fashion. Andrew Godail doubled and Spencer Davis was hit by a pitch before Alex Dunlap slapped a playable ball through the infield to score Godail. Nick Frey made the Cavaliers pay with a towering three-run game-tying homer.
The Cavaliers regained the lead 6-4 in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI-single by Mooney, who moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error. Mooney’s hit plated Tom Malambri, pinch-running for Joe Vandrick, who opened the inning with a single. Malambri advanced to second on an errant pick-off throw and reached third on a wild pitch.
The Highlanders scratched across a run in their half of the fourth on a two-out single by Davis, a walk to Anthony Azar, and a RBI-single by Daniel Homann to narrow the gap to 6-5.
But College Park continued to swing a hot bat, scoring five more times in the fifth to take an 11-5 lead. Aquino and Toups opened the flood gates with back-to-back skyrocket homers to dead center field.
Keenan Cook bounced a two-run single and Simms added a RBI-single. Young, who reached on an error and advanced to third on two wild pitches, and Malambri, running for Vandrick, who walked, scored after an Alberto Liz infield pop was not caught and Cook’s single.
Simms’ single plated Joe Lucy, who was running for Liz.
But the scoring was far from done.
Frey blasted a homer to open the Highlanders’ fifth inning, a six-run, three-hit frame that tied the game 11-11. Jonathan Walthall and Elliot Richoux were hit by pitches and both scored on a single by Godail and a wild pitch.
Davis walked and along with Godail scored on a game-tying, three-run homer by Azar.
But Aquino blasted his second homer of the game, a two-out, three-run blast to right field, giving the Cavaliers a 14-11 lead. Cook, who opened the inning with a double, and Ross Ellison, running for Simms, who was hit by a pitch, scored in front of Aquino.
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