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For Whom the Bell Rolls: Wildcats battered by Raiders in area-round exit
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
CARROLLTON -- The Plano Senior baseball team was staring uncertainty in the eyes before it even took the field Saturday afternoon against L.D. Bell.
Literally.
Before the first pitch was tossed from senior Hunter Raley's glove, the Wildcats faced a 4-1 deficit in the top of the second inning in what was a continuation from Friday's rain-suspended area-round matchup between the two.
"All I can say is that [Bell] did a heck of a job," said Rick Robertson, Plano head coach. "They got runners on, hit the ball and just out-played us in every phase."
The loss eliminated the Wildcats from the playoffs in an untimely scenario for the District 8-5A champions, whose prospects of a best-of-3 series went out the window when rain postponed Friday's game until Saturday and in turn, forced a one-game playoff.
The effects were prevalent from the get-go, with a heightened sense of aggression and activity from the Wildcats, primarily on the base-paths.
It proved a double-edged sword for Plano, with an infield single by freshman Cody Farhat in the second inning leading to two stolen bases by the right-fielder, who would score after junior Brad Hoeler reached base on an error to draw the count to 5-2.
It also worked to Plano's detriment at times, with senior Justin Arrington scampering for second base in the third inning, only to have junior Michael Crawford line out to center and Arrington unable to get back to first to avert the double play.
"We were trying to make something happen and felt like we could run," Robertson said. "... We would have continued but we never really had anyone on base early."
That was anything but the case for the Raiders, who stole seven bases over the two-day contest.
"[Bell] wasn't just aggressive at it," Robertson said, "they were very successful. They picked their spots well and got the big hits along with it, and that always helps."
Bell was also game for capitalizing on the occasional Wildcat miscue, as was the case when Gavin Gregory scored on a Raley passed ball in the second inning. It was an indicator of things to come, as just three of Bell's 10 runs were produced by way of RBI.
"I have a lot of confidence in these guys," Robertson said. "I really felt like we could throw some zeroes on the board and give ourselves a chance to win. Unfortunately, [Bell] kept that pressure on us by getting on base and those zeroes never came."
That pressure was applied from stem to stern, highlighted by a three-run sixth inning by the Raiders. There, an RBI single by Toby Brown scored Cullen Gassaway, with Sydney Daley plated in that same sequence after a throw home from Farhat to Crawford sailed wide of the plate for the 10-2 lead. Two batters prior, Podsednik scored on a passed ball thrown by senior Matt McLean, who relieved Raley after 2.2 innings of work.
Raley's stint on the bump proved an interesting one, with the lefty at one time striking out six consecutive batters before five of the final seven batters he'd face would reach base -- two after being hit by a pitch.
The loss would belong to a player who never so much as grazed the diamond Saturday, as Friday's starter -- senior Connor Reed -- surrendered five runs on four hits while walking four.
The Raiders rolled with just one pitcher over both days, with Blake Henderson limiting Plano to just two runs on four hits, while striking out one and walking three. Three of those hits came Saturday, all of the infield single variety, with Henderson at one time retiring nine consecutive batters.
The opportunities never presented themselves for the Wildcats and as such, the team bows out in the area round to cap their 2012 campaign at 21-7-3.
"It was pretty frustrating," Robertson said. "It was frustrating for all of us, but sometimes when you get on a roll things like that will happen. [Bell is] on a roll right now and we just couldn't stop it."
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