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SPRING, TX -- The Woodlands Highlanders handled business against the MacArthur Generals in a 15-0 run-rule win to complete the two-game Bi-District series in a clean sweep.
The Highlanders looked poised to end the series on Saturday after rescheduling due to bad weather played havoc on the games that were supposed to take place on Friday.
Most notable was a strong presence on the mound from The Woodlands’ Jack Smejkal, who seemed to take pride in his oppressive mound appearances. No amount of swinging from the MacArthur bats seemed to faze the reliable Highlander on his way to pitching a five-inning shutout.
On top of the sturdy pitching, the Highlanders boasted a stout defensive lineup that covered every inch of the field. Foul pole to foul pole was fair game on The Woodlands’ way to keeping the overwhelmed General batters silent through the shortened affair.
In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Highlander Head Coach Ron Eastman discussed the team’s level-headed mindset during the deciding game.
“They are a very resilient group. We came after it really well,” said Eastman. “Jack [Smejkal] set the tone on the mound by pitching lights out for us, and we played good defense behind him, then the bats started to come awake there.”
Control of the game began to slip away from MacArthur in just the second inning, with a solo run serving as the appetizer for the eventual Highlander scoring main course.
A monstrous nine-run barrage in the top of the third was the sudden sprint of scoring that the Highlanders had been building toward.
Success throughout the entire lineup hinted at tendencies of the MacArthur pitchers being exploited, while The Woodlands bats fed off of one another’s swings to build a 10-0 lead at the end of the third inning.
“We didn’t see high velocity [pitches] today, and early on, I think we were trying to pull a little too much,” explained Eastman. “We had a couple of rollover ground balls and a couple of pop-ups, but after that, we settled down and focused on hitting line drives.”
MacArthur’s silent reply to the sudden Woodlands lead gave continued amounts of room to the advancing Highlander bats.
Another solo run in the top of the fourth preceded a four-run fifth inning that completed the charge past double digits, ending in an impressive 15-0 lead for The Woodlands.
The Generals had no chance with Smejkal dealing on the mound, and the game mercifully ended in a 15-0 win to complete the series sweep in two games that gives the Highlanders their Bi-District title.
News broke during the game that the Klein Cain Hurricanes had defeated their respective opponents in the Bi-District round, setting the stage for a Highlander versus Hurricane series for the Area title.
“They’re a really good team. They beat Tomball twice a couple of weeks ago, and they beat us early in the season,” said Eastman on his Area opponent. “We know it’s going to be a competitive team that has strong pitching. We’re going to have to gear up to face more velocity against them.”
The date and times of the Klein Cain and Woodlands series will be announced on The Woodlands Online Sports once they become available.
