High School Baseball
Cy Ranch Blows By Atascocita; Will Face 17-6A Foe in Regional Final
Thomas Bingham
Jun 1, 2018, 6:38 pm
Cy Ranch vs Atascocita will be battle for trip to Austin
It’s been a special year for Cy-Fair ISD, and this weekend’s action was a great example of that. Cypress Ranch and Cy-Fair erased 1-0 series deficits against Atascocita and Clear Springs, so they'll renew a district rivalry in next week’s 6A Region III final.
"That just goes to show about the quality of baseball in our league," said Cypress Ranch head coach Corey Cephus. "That's a testament to everybody in our community. The Cy-Fair community is about baseball and getting it done."
Ranch jumped out to an early lead on Saturday and never looked back. It scored all six of its first inning runs with two outs, and ultimately prevailed 9-4. VYPE Player of the Game Westley Schields drove in two runs in the opening frame, so he was the difference maker in the series clincher.
"I was just trying to get good pitches to hit, put 'em in play [and] hit 'em hard," said Schields. "I knew our guy, JJ Goss, was going to be a dog on the mound, and we just came out and played our game."
Atascocita’s pitching was not on point, so runs came easy for the Mustangs. It started in the first when Colton Cowser and Jared Alvarez-Lopez walked with two outs, and Colton Owen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The productive at-bats continued, when Matt Thompson drove in the first run with a RBI walk. Passed balls drove in the next two runs, Fabian Mayfield added a RBI walk, and Schields concluded the frame with a two-run RBI single.
17-6A’s second seed extended its lead in the second, third and fifth. Brandon Griffin drove in a pair and Mayfield had a solo home run.
Atascocita answered in the third and fifth, but its rally was too late. The Eagles drove home Macrae Kendrick and Bryce Klosterboer twice to cut into the lead.
In Cy-Fair's game, there was also a fast start. The Bobcats scored four of their runs in the first inning and prevailed 5-3 against Clear Springs. This will be the school's second all-Cy-Fair ISD regional final appearance of the school year. The other was last December's 31-14 football win against Langham Creek.
If you enjoyed the recap, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEnwHTX) on Twitter.
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Takeaways from the Astros’ series win over the Orioles
The bats carried the Astros to a series win over the Orioles. Houston scored 7, 10, and 9 runs in the first three games — and they needed every bit of that production to hold off a scrappy Baltimore team that kept fighting back. It was a sharp contrast from their previous series against Detroit, when the Astros managed only two runs across three games.
Over the past seven days, Houston’s offense has been middle-of-the-pack, ranking 12th in runs scored and 22nd in OPS, while the pitching staff has struggled with a 5.19 ERA, 24th in MLB.
Offense heating up
Carlos Correa has led the way during this stretch, hitting .370 with a .901 OPS. He’s been far from alone, though. Jesús Sánchez (.368 AVG, 1.032 OPS), Victor Caratini (.976 OPS), Yainer Díaz (.304 AVG, .820 OPS), and Christian Walker (.276 AVG, .921 OPS) have all delivered at the plate. The collective surge has been timely, giving the Astros’ rotation and bullpen some much-needed margin for error.
Can the bullpen hold up?
That margin might not last if the bullpen wears down. Bryan Abreu has been excellent, but his workload is becoming a concern. With Bennett Sousa landing on the IL with elbow discomfort, depth is thinner than ever. Houston hopes Craig Kimbrel — added from the Rangers’ minor league system — can provide another leverage arm. His debut was encouraging: no runs, two strikeouts.
Still, inconsistency looms. Cristian Javier continues to struggle with command. Javier recorded 10 walks over his 9.2 innings in his rehab starts with Sugar Land. Unfortunately, those control issues have followed him back to the big leagues. McCullers is dealing with the same issues, walking five batters in just four innings in his most recent start.
Walks have not only led to quick rallies, but also forced the bullpen to absorb heavy innings when starters can’t work deep. Javier's latest start against Baltimore was a prime example: spotted a five-run lead in the first, he immediately walked the first two batters and gave the runs right back in the first two innings. Then the bullpen had to cover the final seven frames. AJ Blubaugh really came through for the club, delivering four innings.
Patience with Javier
There may be a silver lining. Javier looked sharp in his first outing back from Tommy John surgery, and perhaps expectations were set too high too quickly. Manager Joe Espada has urged patience, reminding that bumps were always likely during the recovery process. The key for Javier — and for Lance McCullers, will be consistently throwing strikes.
MLB realignment thoughts
On a different note, realignment has been a popular topic this week. Personally, I like the Astros in the American League, where rivalries with the Yankees and Red Sox have added juice. The AL West isn’t the toughest division, which benefits Houston, though the late-night West Coast trips remain a grind. If a shift happens, it’ll come with trade-offs, but for now the AL feels like the right home.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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