College Park and Oak Ridge advance in playoffs

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Last week, playoffs continued for The Woodlands, Oak Ridge and College Park, with two of the teams advancing.

The Highlanders took on Austin Bowie on May 14 and 15, losing both games to the Bulldogs despite the solid effort. On Thursday, after a scoreless seven innings, the Bulldogs took the lead with three runs in the eighth inning, winning the game 3-2. On Friday night, another hotly contested game ensued with the same outcome: a final score of 3-2, taking the Highlanders out of the playoffs.

On Wednesday, May 13, the Cavaliers started their series against Austin High School at Mumford. In game one, Tyler Mortenson excelled on both the mound and on the plate. Mortenson pitched six innings, reached base two times, and singled in the eighth inning, after a scoreless seven-inning game. The Cavs clenched the game in the eighth, with a score of 1-0 over Austin.

The Cavaliers had an even stronger appearance against Austin on Friday in the second game of the series. College Park had one run in the first inning, with the score remaining 1-0 until the Cavs had a five-run inning in the fifth.

Noah Vaughan had three RBIs on two hits for the Cavs, and singled in the first inning, with a triple in the fifth. Another standout player was Beau Ridgeway, pitching six innings with no earned runs on three hits. The Cavs prevailed for the second game over Austin, with a score of 8-1.

The Cavaliers advance in the 16-6A Texas High School Baseball playoffs and will play Lake Travis in Mumford on Wednesday, May 20, at 7:30 PM and on Friday, May 22, at 2:00 PM. If necessary, a third game will be played on Saturday, May 23, at 11 AM.

The War Eagles also had a successful week of baseball, winning the series against Pflugerville late last week, advancing in playoffs. On Friday, May 15, Oak Ridge took an early lead over the Panthers, scoring eight runs in the first three innings. Anthony Smith had an RBI double in the first inning, followed by a two-run double by Luken Baker in the second. Baker blew the Panthers away with his pitching, with Pflugerville managing just one hit off of Baker, and allowing no earned runs.

The War Eagles continued to increase their lead with another two runs in the sixth inning, with a final score of 10-0.

The War Eagles continued their win streak the next day against the Panthers. The teams took turns taking the lead throughout the game, but it was ultimately Oak Ridge that prevailed due to a strong seventh inning. Michael Lawson had an RBI single, brining home Zach Rollins. Oak Ridge defeated Pflugerville 5-3 and advance in the playoffs. The War Eagles will play Austin Bowie at Mumford on Thursday, May 21, at 7:30 PM, ad on Friday, May 22, and 7:30 PM. If necessary, there will be a third game on Saturday, May 23, at 2:00 PM.