 | | May 31, 2008 - The Lamar Consolidated Mustangs lost to Friendswood 10-8 in extra innings in Game 3 of the Region III-4A baseball playoffs at Cougar Field in Houston. With the win, Friendswood advances to the State playoff tournament.
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| HOUSTON - Lamar Consolidated coach Greg Kobza said after an earlier playoff loss that his team wouldn't go down without a fight, that his players would battle no matter the circumstances.
The Lamar Consolidated Mustangs certainly battled in Game 3 of their Region III finals Saturday against Friendswood.
For nearly five hours, they fought. In sweltering weather. Through 13 innings and six pitchers (or seven actually, if you count the starter who returned in the last inning).
But Lamar's quest for a berth in the state tournament came to a halt at Cougar Field at the University of Houston, as Friendswood came up with two runs in the top of the 13th inning to defeat Lamar 10-8. Both runs came home without the benefit of a hit, as a wild pitch by Lamar pitcher Taylor Tate allowed the go-ahead run to score and a sacrifice fly by Friendswood's Cody Bergeson drove home the 10th run.
Lamar threatened in the bottom of the 13th, as Lamar's Dan Hernandez and Raul Renovato reached on singles, both coming with two outs. But Lamar's Ryan Haas, on a 3-2 count, lined to center to end the game and the series. Friendswood (27-9) will play top-ranked Corpus Christi Calallen (40-1) in the 4A state tournament Wednesday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Lamar finished its best-ever season at 29-9. The loss was especially frustrating and heartbreaking for Lamar because the team, which was the home squad Saturday, had opportunities to win the game with runners in scoring position in the eighth and 10th innings.
Also distressing was that Lamar couldn't complete an exciting comeback, as the team fought back from an 8-1 deficit to tie to the game with four runs in the fifth inning and three runs in the sixth. The sixth inning ended on a controversial call at third base when Hernandez was called out on a throw from first after a game-tying infield single. Kobza argued the call, but to no avail.
Kobza said the comeback was “all for naught” if the team didn't win.
“Yeah, we battled,” he said. “I gotta give my kids some credit. We stuck in there and we battled all the way. There again, we wasted some opportunities in the extra innings with runners on base and nobody out, and we just didn't get it done.”
In the eighth inning, Hernandez hit a flare to short with two outs and two on, and in the 10th, with the bases loaded, Hernandez again hit a flare to short.
Brady Rodgers, who pitched in Game 1 Thursday, came in as a reliever in the eighth inning with two outs. He pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief and got out of jams in the 10th and 11th innings, as Friendswood had the go-ahead run on third in both innings but failed to score.
Kobza pulled Rodgers after the 12th inning, as Rodgers complained of dizziness, Kobza said. Kobza then summoned Daniel Ruggles, who hadn't pitched since the beginning of the year, to start the 13th.
Ruggles struggled from the outset, as he walked the first batter and hit the second. Tate then came in to pitch, and the first batter he faced, Matt McLaren, grounded to first, where Renovato threw to second, but FHS's Michael Ruiz was safe. Tate then uncorked a wild pitch and then gave up a sacrifice fly.
Tate needed more time to get ready to pitch in the 13th, so that's why he needed more pitches in the bullpen before he was called in to pitch, Kobza said.
Kobza said he was disappointed for his team but proud of how the players performed.
“It just wasn't our year, I guess,” he said. “The baseball gods weren't shining on us today.”
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