Victoria Advocate On-Line

Thorndale decks Shiner with 10-run sixth inning
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Mike Forman, Victoria Advocate Sports Writer

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SMITHVILLE - If the sixth inning in Game 1 of Shiner's best-of-three Class 1A regional semifinal series against Thorndale seemed like a bad dream, the sixth inning in Game 2 was an absolute nightmare.

The Bulldogs scored 10 runs in the top of the sixth to bust open a tie game and went on to a 14-6 win over the Comanches on Saturday at Tiger Field.

After winning 9-7 in Game 1 on Wednesday, Thorndale swept the series and improved to 28-5. The Bulldogs, who are the defending state champions, advance to the regional final against the winner of the D'Hanis-Fayetteville series.

Shiner, which lost to Thorndale in last year's regional final, ended the season at 20-8.

"These guys can hit," Shiner coach Daniel Boedeker said of the Bulldogs. "They're so athletic and so fast, you can't give them anything. You have to make them earn everything and for the most part, they did."

Shiner led 5-4 in Game 1 before Thorndale scored five times in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish in Game 1.

The Comanches had battled back from a 4-0 deficit to tie the game before the Bulldogs sent 14 batters to the plate against three Shiner pitchers in the sixth. Thorndale had five hits and made the most of an error, four walks and two hit batters.

"It's the same story, when the bottom of our lineup gets on that's really helped us," Thorndale coach Scott Holder said. "When it comes to the top of our lineup and we have men on base...anytime that happens, we have confidence in the top of our lineup."

Shiner starter Kyle Condel ran into the trouble in the third inning when Thorndale strung together five hits with a walk and an error to take a 4-0 lead.

The Comanches made it 4-1 in the bottom of the inning when Condel led off with a single and scored on a single by Mark Casteel.

Shiner pulled within one in the fourth. Dustin Mayberry led off with a towering home run over the left-field fence. After Colten Henley drew a walk, courtesy runner Matthew Hibbs came around to score on an error, a bunt single by Condel, and a fielder's choice grounder by Ky Pohler.

Shiner missed a chance for a bigger inning when Thorndale starter Josh Culp got Ryan Kloesel to hit into a double play with runners on first and third..

The Comanches tied the game in the fifth when D.J. Pustka singled, went to second on a sacrifice by Casteel, took third on an infield hit by Julian Longoria and scored on a throwing error.

"Give our kids credit," Boedeker said. "They battled. They never quit trying, even when we went down in the sixth we were trying to get it to the seventh and I'm proud of them for that."

Condel escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the fifth but he couldn't make it out of the sixth.

Cirilio Reyes reached on an error by Kloesel at shortstop to start the inning and things went from bad to worse for Shiner, even though Thorndale hit only four balls out of the infield against Condel and relievers Kloesel and Henley.

"We're a fastball hitting team," Holder said. "We do a good job of laying off the curveball and making them throw strikes. That's what we try to do is hit the fastball."

Shiner avoided the 10-run rule by scoring a run in the sixth on a double by Henley and an RBI single by Condel.

The Comanches scored their final run in the seventh on a walk by Casteel, a single by Longoria, and a fielder's choice grounder by Josh Nance.

"We did not play the best we could have," Boedeker said. "I'm sure all of us feel that way. We made some mistakes we haven't made all year. We had some inexperience and when things go bad, sometimes you lose your edge. We were showing that today."


REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - MAY 27, 2006 - GAME 2 OF 2

SCORE:
                                  F
Thorndale  0 0 4  0 0 10  0  --  14
Shiner     0 0 1  2 1 1   1  --   6


HIGHLIGHTS:
Class 1A regional semifinal, Game 2
Josh Culp, Victor Reyes (6) and Jeffrey Hinistroza;
Kyle Condel, Ryan Kloesel (6), Colten Henley (6) and Mark Casteel.
WP: Culp. LP: Condel (6-5).
Highlights: (T) Marcus Gest 3-for-3, 3 runs, RBI; Austin Falke 3-for-5,
run, 4 RBIs; (S) Condel 3-for-5, run; Dexter Mayberry 2-for-4, solo HR;
Casteel 1-for-2, RBI; Julian Longoria 2-for-4.
Records: Thorndale 28-5, Shiner 20-8.
Notes: Thorndale wins best-of-three series 2-0 and advances to regional
final against Fayetteville or D'Hanis.
Mike Forman is a sports writer for The Victoria Advocate.
Contact him at 361-580-6588, or by e-mail at mforman@vicad.com.


Shiner Comanche Baseball   |   Return to Shiner Home Page


GO COMANCHES !

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