Playoffs: The Woodlands baseball, softball teams win; advance

They never had a chance.

The Woodlands High School baseball team mauled Round Rock 8-2 Friday to complete a sweep of the Region II-5A quarterfinals playoff series. It wasn’t even close. The top-ranked Highlanders (32-3) won 4-0 on Thursday in the series opener.

Meanwhile, The Woodlands High School softball team had McKinney Boyd right where they wanted them. Duplicating last week’s script, the Lady Highlanders (30-7) lost the first game of their best-of-three playoff series only to rally for two wins in one day, including a dramatic walk-off victory in the third and deciding game.

The No. 5 state-ranked Lady Highlanders earned wins of 2-0 and 3-2 in 8 innings on Friday to advance to the Region II-5A finals for the third consecutive season. The Woodlands will face No. 6 state-ranked Kingwood in a best-of-three series at Tomball High School. The first game is set for 7 p.m. Friday with the second game scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday. A third game, if necessary would be played 30 minutes after Game 2.

Caitlin Bartsch fired a complete-game shutout, scattering four hits while striking out three to get the Lady Highlanders, who scored both of their runs in the third inning, to the third and deciding game of the series on Friday.

That’s when Taylor Vick delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the eighth inning and like last week The Woodlands was victorious in walk-off fashion.

The Woodlands rallied from a 2-0 deficit in Game 3 with single markers in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game and sent it into extra innings.

The Woodlands collected 13 hits in the game. Aubrey Leach led the way with three hits and an RBI. Sidney Salmans also had three hits and Autumn Zientek added two more.

Abby Langkamp singled and drove in a run. The lefty pitched into the fifth inning, striking out five, before Bartsch finished out, earning both wins on Friday.

The state’s top-ranked baseball team left no doubt on Friday. After spotting the Dragons a two-run lead in the first inning, the Highlanders answered with a five-run first inning of their own and never looked back.

Ryan Burnett went the distance, striking out 15 along the way while allowing just three hits.

“Couldn’t have done it without all the support of my teammates and my boy behind the plate (Alex Dunlap),” Burnett tweeted after the game. Dunlap had three of The Woodlands’ 10 hits, including a pair of doubles and drove in a run.

Chris Andritsos added icing on the cake with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. It was the sophomore’s 13th homer of the season, breaking the school record. But Andritsos was more concerned with getting the “W.”

“Moving on to the next round behind outstanding pitching from Carter Hope and Ryan Burnett,” Andritsos tweeted.

Josh Shaw also doubled and drove in a pair of runs to highlight the first-inning explosion.

Hillin Warren added two hits and put the series into perspective.

“Blessed to be a part of such a team like The Woodlands,” he tweeted. “On to the next one.”

Kolbi Brown, who also had a hit, reminded, “Only half way there, let’s keep it rollin’. Three down, three to go,” he tweeted.

Luke Sherley contributed with a hit and an RBI while Charlie Warren added a hit and Joshua Pruitt drove in a run.

The Woodlands will take on Plano West in the region semifinals. The best-of-three series is scheduled for Georgetown East View High School. The first game is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday with the second game set for noon Saturday. A third game, if necessary, would be played 45 minutes at Game 2.