Advocate intern Tyler Terrell’s report from Game 1 of the regional quarterfinal series:
BELTON – Round one of the best-of-three regional quarterfinals goes to Belton. The Tigers defeated the Wildcats, 4-1, at Belton High School on Thursday night.
Belton’s Dillon Newman, who will play at Baylor next year, held Lake Highlands to a measly two hits on the night.
Early defensive miscues and a rowdy Belton crowd contributed to the Wildcats’ loss. Dylan Porter started on the mound for LH and was relieved by Ryan Browder in the sixth inning. Both pitched well and gave up only a combined five hits.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Shane Hoelscher RBI single Colbi Fuentes led off the game with a stand-up double. After Brooks Mraz reached base on an error, Porter was able to retire the last two batters of the inning, leaving two runners on base.
Belton scored its second run of the night when John Beck started the bottom of the second inning with a double and was knocked in by John Nieberding. After getting a ground-out and a walking a batter, Porter was once again able to get out of a jam by sitting down the final two batters of the inning.
The Wildcats’ R.J. Burns led off the third inning by getting hit by a pitch, and after a Byron Burns double, LH had runners at second and third with one out. Blake Woodson smacked an RBI ground-out to the second baseman to cut the Tiger lead to 2-1, but the Wildcats were not able to further cut into the lead.
LH’s next best opportunity to score occurred when Taylor Stell managed to reach third base in the fourth inning, but nothing came of it. A David Bloodworth double in the fifth inning was the Wildcats’ only other hit in the contest.
Belton pushed two more runs across the plate in the sixth inning with a Nieberding single and a sacrifice fly from Cooper Smith. None of the last eight Wildcat hitters reached base.
LH is now down 1-0 in a series for the first time in this year’s playoffs. The teams meet again at 1 p.m. Saturday at Lake Highlands. If the Wildcats win, the deciding game will be played 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2.
