Rockets firepower ends Bears season

The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Battlin' Bears remarkable baseball season has come to an end.

The Waco Robinson Rockets beat the Bears in the best -of-three-game series, 2-0, this past weekend. Robinson defeated LC-M 12-2 in a run-rule, water-logged six-inning game which shifted to the University of Houston from College Park High School in Conroe because of the large amount of rain on Thursday and then held off LC-M for an 8-5 win Friday evening at Sam Houston State in Huntsville.

The Rockets victory sends the team to Austin to take part in the Class 4A State Championship as the Region III representative.

The Rockets jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead at the start of Friday's game two, which featured LC-M's Mitchell Lee on the mound. Robinson threatened to blow the game open as it sent seven batters to the plate and had the bases loaded before Lee ended the inning with a strikeout.

Robinson's bats were on fire in the second inning as the Rockets struck for four runs, two of which came on errors by the Bears, and then the Rockets added another in the top of the third inning for a 6-0 lead.

The Bears defense stiffened for the remainder of the game as the LC-M bats fought to get back into the game. The Bears scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to narrow the Rockets lead, 6-2, and added another run in the bottom of the fifth following a Lee single which sent Drake Trawhon home.

Robinson responded with two more runs in the top of the sixth inning to extend its lead to 8-3 after Lee was replaced on the mound. Lee finished the game with four strikeouts and three walks, while allowing nine hits in five innings on Friday.

The Bears answered Robinson with two more runs to once again cut into the Rockets lead at 8-5 after six innings, but LC-M could not score again in the seventh inning which gave the Rockets the win.

Thursday's game at the University of Houston was delayed until 9 p.m. due to weather and a game in rain delay ahead of the LC-M and Robinson matchup.

The Rockets wasted little time in jumping all over LC-M as Robinson jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning on its way to a 12-2 victory.

Robinson battered the Bears for 13 hits in game one as LC-M utilized three pitchers trying to climb back into the contest.

Waco Robinson will represent Region III in the State semif-final contest.

Representing Region 1 will be Abilene Wylie, which defeated Godley 7-5 in a one game series. The Region II representative is Pleasant Grove, which defeated defending Argyle, the 2015 Class 4A State Champions, 8-1, this past weekend. The Region IV team is Salado, which defeated Sweeny, 2-0, in a best-of-three-game series by scores of 3-0 and 4-1.

The winner of each one-game series will play the following day for the State Championship.