Bridge City, West Orange-Stark head to next level in state playoffs

Staff Report

For The Record

The Bridge City Cardinals and the West Orange-Stark Mustangs continue to advance in the 2015 state baseball playoffs. Both Orange County's teams move up to the Region III quarterfinal round. This will make the 11th straight appearance in the quarterfinals for the Cardinals.

Bridge City (19-8) will face the Huffman-Hargrave Falcons (22-4) in a one game winner-take-all on Friday at Baytown Sterling High School. Game time is 7 p.m. Huffman-Hargrave is the first place team from Dist. 22. This will be the fifth meeting in six years between the Cardinals and the Falcons in the playoffs.

The WOS Mustangs will take on the Bellville Brahmas in a best-of-three series starting Thursday at Barbers Hill High School at 7:30 p.m. Game Two will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. Game Three, if needed, will be played Saturday at 2 p.m. Bellville is the first place team from Dist. 21.

The Cardinals defeated Giddings 5-1 behind the pitching of senior Chase Shurat and the hitting of Kyle Bergeron, Jonah Watts, Tod McDowel and Blake Pruett. Shugart sent 10 batters back to the dug out while giving up just three hits in the area round contest. Bergeron smacked a home run for 2RBI and added a stolen base. Watts doubled with 2RBI, McDowel and Pruett each had two hits contributing to the Bridge City victory.

The Mustangs swept their series in two games against Navasota to advance to the quarterfinal round. WOS won Game One 2-1 with pitcher Grant Anderson tossing 11 strikeouts in the bout. At the plate K.J. Miller had an RBI and Payton Robertson also had an RBI. Chase Rutledge added a hit in the victory. In Game Two Aidan Anderson was on the hill delivering 10 strikeouts for the Mustangs and picked off four would-be Navasota base stealers. At the plate Grant Lapoint-Teate had three hits, Grant Anderson had two hits and Kalen Garrett had two hits. The Mustangs won Game Two 3-2.

Photo - Aidan and Grant Anderson celebrate after Aidan struck out the last two batters to win the series against Navasota.