Needing a win to extend its Region I-5A semifinal series against Aledo and keep its season alive, the Wylie baseball team couldn’t solve the Bearcat pitching duo of Carter Sands and Creed Willems, mustering just five hits in a 6-1 loss Friday at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field.

The Bulldogs, who dropped a 6-5 thriller in nine innings in Thursday’s series opener, found themselves right in the game heading into the late innings in Game 2 as well.

But trailing by a run after Jaxon Hansen singled home Grayson Bearden in the bottom of the fifth to cut a 2-0 deficit in half, Wylie saw Aledo pull away with a pair of two-run innings in its final two at-bats.

CLEBURNE — In a Region I-5A semifinal series opener marked by upwards of a dozen potential tell-tale moments, two bouncing balls ultimately sealed the deal in Aledo’s nail-biting, 6-5, nine-inning win over Wylie on Thursday evening.

The first, which denied the Bulldogs a chance to gain the upper hand in the best-of-three series, came off the bat of Wylie catcher Landon Williams in the seventh inning. The game was tied 5-5, and Williams was hitting with two outs and teammate Riley Hood leading off from first base after being hit by a pitch.

The junior backstop blasted a line drive to deep left field, which would have easily scored Hood — save for fact that it bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. That left Hood at third and Williams at second, and the Bulldogs couldn’t bring either home.

The second, and deciding hop, occurred two innings later. With two outs in the bottom half of the inning and a runner on first, Bearcat right fielder Zach Harrison hit a soft popup some 130 feet from home plate toward the first base line. Had it gone 131, Wylie right fielder Grayson Beardon might have been able to catch it. Instead, his dive came up just short, and the ball caromed off his glove away from second baseman JT Thompson, who was also in hot pursuit — just far enough for Aledo’s Parker Stegall to race around the bases and beat Thompson’s throw by a few feet.

If you were to create a composite based on all of the qualities you look for in a catcher, the final result might look a lot like Wylie’s Landon Williams.

• Good receiving skills? Check.
• Blocks balls in the dirt well? Check.
• A strong arm to control the running game? Check.
• Works well with a pitching staff and calls a good game? Check.
• Capable of contributing at the plate? Check.

Williams, a junior who is already committed to play Division I baseball for the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, is not only capable of doing all of these things, but he can do them at a high level. And he has done so consistently this season in helping coach Grant Martin’s Bulldogs to the Region I-5A semifinals, where they’ll take on Aledo this week, starting with Game 1 at 5 p.m. Thursday at The Depot in Cleburne.

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LINK … GAME STORY:  Wylie eliminates Randall, 17-7, to advance to Region I-5A semifinals

LUBBOCK — With a steady 20-mph wind blowing directly to left field Friday at Lubbock Cooper’s First United Park, Mother Nature had set a powder keg directly in the path of Wylie and Canyon Randall for Game 2 of their Region I-5A quarterfinal.

And it didn’t take long for someone to light it. 

Through a combined 34 hits between the two clubs, 11 extra-base hits and two home runs, Wylie got the better of Randall, closing the game and the series with a 17-7 run-rule win in five innings.

Cooper Hrbacek was 4 for 4 with a triple and four RBIs, JT Thompson was 3 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs, and Riley Hood was 4 for 5 with two RBIs to lead Wylie (25-80), which advances to face either Aledo or Mansfield Timberview in the regional semifinals next week. 

THIS WEEK: Wylie baseball coach Grant Martin talks baseball with Evan and Dan

As the quarterback for the Wylie football team in the fall, senior Balin Valentine is no stranger to the spotlight or being leaned on to produce in its glow.

So the transition from the football field to the baseball diamond, where he occupies high-profile roles as the Bulldogs’ shortstop and leadoff man, is a remarkably natural one for him.

A catalyst for the Bulldogs in all of his various capacities, Valentine enjoys those pressure-packed situations that might cause others to shrink. And given the success he’s found in them, it’s not hard to see why.

FORT STOCKTON — The Wylie baseball team is on to the Region I-5A quarterfinals after holding off El Paso Andress in a white-knuckle thriller, edging the Golden Eagles 3-2 in a one-game area-round playoff Friday at the Fort Stockton baseball field.

Leading 2-0 after four innings, The Bulldogs saw the Eagles push across a pair of runs in the fifth to tie things up. But Wylie answered with an RBI triple by Reed Hughes in the bottom half of that inning to go back ahead and kept Andress off the board in the final two frames to preserve the hard-fought win.

The victory improved coach Grant Martin’s team to 23-8 on the year and earned the Bulldogs a region quarterfinals date with the winner of District 2-5A champion Canutillo (17-5-1) and District 3-5A runner-up Canyon Randall (21-14-1), which were set to wrap up their best-of-three area-round series Saturday.

To call the 2021 Wylie baseball team a senior-led squad would be a fairly significant understatement. 

Featuring a 10-player senior class that will send eight to the college ranks next year, the 18th-ranked Bulldogs are blessed with a combination of talent, experience and chemistry that few teams statewide can boast.

But heading into a one-game area-round playoff against El Paso Andress at 4 p.m. Friday in Fort Stockton, coach Grant Martin’s seniors will see all of their history and hopes boiled down to a single game. Win, and they’ll get to add yet another chapter to a story already filled with unique experiences. Lose, and they’ll close the book on their time as teammates.

That reality isn’t lost on this talented group of Bulldogs, who aren’t remotely ready for this ride to be over yet.

LAMESA — The Wylie baseball team made quick work of Plainview in its best-of-three Region I-5A bi-district series on Friday, sweeping their first-round foe 9-1 and 5-1 behind a pair of strong starts.

Dash Albus held the PHS to one unearned run over 6.1 innings in Game 1, allowing just four hits and two walks, while Brooks Gay tossed a complete game in Game 2, limiting the Bulldogs to one run on five hits and one walk. The co-aces combined for nine strikeouts.

With the victories, Wylie (22-8) will now advance to the area round of the Class 5A playoffs, where it will take on the winner of El Paso Andress (22-5) and El Paso Del Valle (14-8), which split the first two games of their bi-district series.