War Of The Woods Baseball: The Woodlands Take On College Park In A Classic Rivalry Series

THE WOODLANDS – Another chapter in the War of the Woods rivalry unfolded over the past few days as The Woodlands and College Park faced off on the baseball field for a classic inter-Woodlands series. The Woodlands entered this series with a 7-1 record in district play, trailing Oak Ridge in the standings despite winning seven straight district games. College Park’s season has been the opposite, as wins have been hard to come by for the Cavaliers, who entered this series with a 3-6 district record despite a solid series against Caney Creek. A win for College Park was going to be tough, but a heated rivalry can sometimes inspire a team to overcome the adversity it has faced so far. Let's dive into both games and see how baseball’s War of the Woods turned out.

Game 1: The Highlanders Continue To Mash

Coming into this game, The Woodlands was known for one of the most explosive offenses in the district, scoring multiple runs against district opponents while allowing only 1-2 runs per game. That trend continued in this game as the Highlanders recorded 9 hits in Game 1, resulting in 8 runs scored. The pitching was solid too, keeping the Cavalier offense in check and letting the offense do its thing when they stepped up to the plate. This game was broadcast live on Woodlands Online. The full game recording is available here, so be sure to check it out.

On the mound for the Highlanders was Cash Clayton, a player we’ve covered here many times before, and for good reason. Clayton had a great game, allowing just 1 run over 5 innings while striking out 7 batters. In the 6th inning, Xavier Gregg came in for Clayton, striking out 3 batters and giving up no hits or runs. Gregg impressed as a reliever, throwing some incredibly fast pitches that had Cavalier hitters scratching their heads.

Regarding that offense, they were outstanding once again, with 6 players recording at least one hit in this game. Cruz Romo led the team in hits, with 2 singles and a double, finishing 3 for 4 on the day. Other players like Jack Smejkal, Johan Fernandez, Jack Fuller, and Cash McWhorter all got hits as well, with Fuller going 1 for 1 on the day as he was walked 3 times, giving him a 1.000 outing. McWhorter recorded the Highlanders’ 1st RBI, driving in Romo on a double before scoring himself on a Fernandez single.

There was one more player who made an impact on that night's game, and that was Bryson Bourn, who had 2 hits and 1 RBI, while scoring twice. Bourn wasn’t just effective at the plate; he also showed his exceptional baserunning skills throughout the night. His first run was scored off an error by the College Park right fielder, who dropped a fly ball with 2 outs, allowing Bourn to advance all the way from 1st base after he took off as soon as Clayton made contact. He was so quick that by the time the ball had fallen out of the outfielder's glove, he was already around 2nd base, beating the throw and sliding into home for a run. The second run he scored might have been even more impressive; after a line drive was caught in right field, the 2nd baseman caught the ball instead of the pitcher, allowing Bourn to tag up and then outrun the 2nd baseman to 3rd base. When the 2nd baseman finally tried to throw to 3rd, the ball went right past the 3rd baseman, enabling Bourn to sprint home and score his second run of the day. All these moments were amazing heads-up plays from Bourn, who no doubt has one of the most unique highlights out of any player we’ve seen this season.

As for College Park, this was just another tough outing for them, as they managed only 1 hit all game and scored just once. Caleb Cardenas was on the mound for the Cavaliers, giving up 8 hits and 7 earned runs to only 1 strikeout. It really wasn’t all Cardenas' fault, however, as the defense behind him was all over the place. The Cavaliers committed 4 errors on the night, some of which led to multiple runs. Several defenders completely missed fly balls or let batted balls roll right past them, resulting in Cardenas’ outing looking a lot worse than it was. Zachary Mathwig came in for Cardenas in the 3rd inning, allowing only 1 run and 1 hit but not striking out a single batter. Mathwig is known for his unique “submarine” pitching style, and its crazy release point seemingly stopped the Highlanders in their tracks after the 3rd inning. Still, Mathwig’s solid relief pitching was in vain, as the offense continued to struggle and could not get a hit until the 4th inning, when Noah Roman was able to knock a double through and eventually score College Park’s only run.

Overall, Game 1 saw The Woodlands dominate, showcasing everything the Highlanders are known for this season with strong hitting, pitching, and baserunning throughout. They won this game 8-1, improving to 8-1 in district play, while College Park fell to 3-7 and is looking forward to the rematch Tuesday. To watch the recording of this game here on Woodlands Online, check out the full stream here.

Game 2: A Tight Game Gets Blown Open Late

After a weekend of rest, The Woodlands and College Park met up again for game 2 in this series, this time at Scotland Yard. With both teams' best pitchers on the mound, it was a tight game for 4 innings, until the Highlanders blew the game open in the 5^th inning. College Park would’ve really liked to nab the upset victory, but The Woodlands offense was just too much for them again.

Let's start with College Park this time, as they certainly played better in this game than they did in the previous one. Ethan Deckwa was on the mound for the Cavaliers, and while his night ended with him giving up 7 hits and 5 earned runs, he didn’t have a terrible outing up until the 5^th inning. The defense behind Deckwa was much better than last game, as both 3B Sergio Alvarez and SS Caleb Cardenas came up with several clutch throws and catches. Cardenas had the highlight catch of the night, sprinting from short to shallow center field to dive for a pop fly that saw him catch some serious air before rolling onto the grass with the ball in his glove. Perhaps that’s Cardenas showing his defense how to play, as he would’ve appreciated that kind of effort in his pitching outing in game 1. For the offense, they hit a little better, with Jake Medders having the best night for the Cavaliers. Medders came to bat with bases loaded and 2 outs, hitting a clutch single into right that resulted in 2 runs being scored and the first Cavalier lead of the series. That single hit was really the only highlight of the night, though, as only Jai Pouaka-Grego was able to record another hit for the Cavaliers, resulting in only 2 hits all game. Another hard night at the plate caused them to drop yet another game and fall down even further in the rankings.

For The Woodlands, things seemed tense up until the midpoint of this game, as they actually trailed at one point, something they've not done in what feels like forever. The hitting was still strong, though, as they scored 7 runs in the 5th inning to quickly regain the lead and crush College Park’s hopes of winning. With 12 hits recorded, several Highlanders contributed, with some even getting multiple at-bats in one inning due to all the hitting. Cruz Romo, Jack Smejkal, Cash McWhorter, and Bryson Bourn all had 2 hits in this game, with McWhorter being the only one to score twice. Cash Clayton led the team in RBIs, driving in 3 runs with just 1 hit, making up for his lower output last game. Elias Diaz, Chase Bradley, and Noah Knightstep all recorded a hit as well, and even though Johan Fernandez didn’t record a hit, he still reached base several times and scored 1 run. The 5th inning, as we mentioned before, is where this all started, as the Highlanders got through the entire lineup in one inning, recording 7 hits in a row. They got these hits almost consecutively, with just 1 walk in between, before 3 straight outs ended the inning after Clayton cleared the bases on a double. It was a surprising ending to that inning, as it looked like the Highlanders still had more in them, but 7 runs is impressive and completely shut down any chance the Cavaliers had.

On the mound for the Highlanders was their ace Jack Smejkal, who pitched another solid game, although not as clean as we're used to. Smejkal struggled with walks later in the game, which led to him being pulled in the 4th inning for Luke Sheeren. Despite that, Smejkal recorded 8 strikeouts, so even though he gave up 2 runs, it was still another strong outing for the senior pitcher. Sheeren’s 2 innings were also solid, with 3 strikeouts and no earned runs before Luke Peterson took over in the 7th. Peterson had an outstanding 7th inning, striking out 3 straight batters to end the game on a high note for the staff and finish with a bang. The Woodlands' starters remain solid, but the depth of their rotation has been top-notch, with several guys they can rely on once the starter leaves.

In game 2, The Woodlands secured another win, defeating the Cavaliers 9-2 and sweeping them before their next series against New Caney. The Highlanders now hold a 9-1 record in district play, still trailing Oak Ridge, which is 10-0. The Cavaliers drop to 3-8, and a spot in the playoffs is now nearly out of reach as their tough season continues.