All the tests the Randall Raiders had aced in their previous 14 games prior to opening the playoffs this weekend paid off when it came to their exam against Lubbock Monterey.
While the Raiders weren’t perfect for two days, they had enough right answers at the end of Saturday afternoon at Raider Field to show they were at the top of the class in their Region I-5A bidistrict series.
Randall got by two close games to beat Monterey as both had roughly the same ending. Payton Bush picked up the save on the mound both times, including Saturday’s game two at Randall, as the Raiders completed a sweep with a 5-3 victory and stretched their winning streak to 16 games.
That puts Randall (24-7) in the area round next week against Canutillo for what’s scheduled to be a best-of-three series in Roswell, N.M. If things get close, the Raiders know what it takes to deal with them.
“We’re 30 plus games in so there’s not a whole lot we haven’t seen,” Randall coach Cory Hamilton said. “Each kid has gotten themselves to where they’re in the position of asking how they can get comfortable at the plate and be comfortable on the mound and come out and be successful. To be in uncomfortable situations right off the bat in bidistrict will help later to come out on top.”
In both games, Monterey (11-20-1) had at least the tying run at the plate in the seventh inning. Randall took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh at Lubbock’s Moegle Field as the Plainsmen loaded the bases with one out.
Enter Bush, who has been starting on the mound when not playing second base. Monterey’s Cross Stephens lined a ball down the third base line but Hagen Shedd made a diving catch for the second out and Bush then struck out Jaxson Aleman to end the game.
Bush had more cushion when he entered game two, coming in with a two-run lead. He survived a two-out walk to Stephens and struck out Harrison Crews to end the game and the series.
“I was supposed to pitch the third game if it got there, but I had to come on in relief and I was a little nervous,” Bush said. “I just had to trust my defense and that was it. Just throw strikes. It feels really good for all the freshmen and sophomores to see what it’s like to win a gold glove.”
On a deep pitching staff, Bush has been the most consistent arm for the Raiders. With the biggest games of the season on the line, Hamilton felt it was a no-brainer to use Bush if he could.
“For this week he was going to be our game three guy, but when you have a chance to take one at Monterey you use him, when you have a chance to seal the deal today, you use him,” Hamilton said. “The tournament deal works where it’s 110 pitches, so we would have had him for at least 80 plus pitches after that.”
Shedd may have saved the game defensively the day before, and he did his part to help clinch things Saturday, if in less dramatic fashion.
Randall led 4-2 going into the sixth when sophomore Andrew Ramos struggled with his control. Ramos gave up only two hits and struck out eight, but walked four batters in the fifth to bring home a run. He hit Nate Ramos to start the sixth, then gave up a single to Ja’Marcus Smith to bring home a run and cut it to 4-3 and was pulled for Shedd.
Things didn’t start well for Shedd, who walked Andrew Garcia to put the go-ahead run on base for Monterey. But catcher Mason Ladd picked off Garcia at first and Shedd struck out David Morales looking to end the inning.
With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Shedd gave the Raiders some insurance with a solo home run to left off Smith, and gave it over to Bush after that.
“I wasn’t worried about it at all,” Shedd said. “It was about making the play, getting out of here and getting the win. (On the home run) I honestly didn’t think I was going to get another strike because one of (the foul balls) went about 400 feet., but he gave me a chance and I made it hurt.”
Shedd and Andrew Ramos both had two hits for Randall. Jake Scott led off the game with a home run in the bottom of the first.
Monterey, meanwhile, had only two singles in the first 5 1/3 innings, which negated two solid pitching performances by the Plainsmen.
“Two home runs today helped (Randall),” said Monterey coach Kent Meador, who previously coached at Tascosa. “We threw two kids who were sophomores and they did a pretty good job of competing. We just didn’t get enough hits. You have to give (the Raiders credit for that). They have a lot of good arms.”
Big innings doom Sandies in sweep by Coronado
Two catastrophic innings guaranteed that Amarillo High’s season wouldn’t continue in a series with Lubbock Coronado.
In both games against Coronado, the Sandies saw their hopes dissolve when the Mustangs put up double-digit numbers in an inning. Coronado hung up 13 on Amarillo High in the top of the fourth of the second game at Sandie Field to end the series with an 18-3 victory.
That came less than 24 hours after game one at Lubbock’s O’Banion Field, when Coronado closed the game with 11 unanswered runs to roll to a 13-5 victory.
With that surge to end the opener and the 18 runs to open the second game, the Mustangs scored 29 unanswered runs against the Sandies (18-10) to seal Amarillo High’s fate. In the fourth inning, 13 of Coronado’s first 14 batters reached base as the Mustangs batted around twice and had 11 hits. By the time the inning was over, Coronado led 18-0.
The first game was more competitive, as the Sandies scored three runs in the fourth to take a 5-2 lead. But Coronado (15-15-1) scored 10 runs in the sixth to take control of the game and the series. In that inning alone, the Sandies used five pitchers.
Cooper rolls over Tascosa
For the second straight season, Tascosa was eliminated by powerful Lubbock Cooper to open the playoffs, as No. 2 Cooper used two big innings to rout the Rebels 18-0 at Rebel Field to complete the series sweep.
Cooper beat Tascosa 5-2 in a much more competitive game to open the series at Cooper a day earlier. Tascosa finished the season 11-18-1.
Saturday’s game didn’t open well for the Rebels, as Cooper took a 1-0 lead on a homer by Kyle Lewis of Tascosa starter Ryne Wingate. That turned out to be all the Pirates (25-6) needed.
Cooper put the game and series away by scoring 15 runs combined in the second and third innings. The Pirates hit three homers on the day.
That equaled Tascosa’s hits on the day.
Class 4A
Canyon sweeps Levelland
Canyon had little trouble in two games with Levelland, as the Eagles completed a sweep with a 9-4 win at Double Eagle Field.
The Eagles (18-7) opened the series with a 10-3 win in the first game. They will play Greenwood in the area round next week.
Canyon trailed once in the series, as Levelland (14-18) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning in the second game. But the Eagles took control with three runs in the bottom of the first, beginning a string of seven unanswered runs.
Camron White pitched 4 2/3 innings to pick up the win on the mound. Diego Hernandez had three hits and drove in four runs to lead Canyon at the plate.
Hernandez had a big series as he drove in six runs over two days.
Class 3A
Bushland takes care of Slaton
Bushland got challenged for the first time in over a month to open their series with Slaton but survived that to compete a sweep by winning game two 17-4.
The Falcons (21-2), who won all of their District 1-3A game by the 10-run rule, had to fight in the first game, but survived 4-2.
Bushland had a more typical second game, although Slaton (5-19) took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first. But the Falcons responded with five runs in the top of the fourth, as they mounted a two-out rally. Sawyer Malloy tied the game with a two-run double and gave Bushland the lead for good when he scored on a single by Josh Bass.
The Falcons scored 11 runs in the final two innings to provide the final margin. Five batters had at least two hits for Bushland, who had 14 hits.
Bass carried the Falcons in the first game, as he pitched a complete-game win, striking out eight and giving up only four hits while driving in two runs.
Amarillo-area Bidistrict scores
Thursday-Saturday
Class 5A
Randall sweeps Lubbock Monterey, 2-0
Game 1: Randall 3, Monterey 2
Game 2: Randall 5, Monterey 3
Records: Randall 24-7; Monterey 11-20-1
Lubbock Coronado sweeps Amarillo High, 2-0
Game 1: Coronado 13, Amarillo High 5
Game 2: Coronado 18, Amarillo High 3
Records: Coronado 15-15-1; Amarillo High 18-10
Lubbock-Cooper sweeps Tascosa, 2-0
Game 1: Cooper 5, Tascosa 2
Game 2: Cooper 18, Tascosa 0
Records: Cooper 25-6; Tascosa 11-18-1
Class 4A
Canyon sweeps Levelland, 2-0
Game 1: Canyon 10, Levelland 3
Game 2: Canyon 9, Levelland 4
Records: Canyon 18-8; Levelland 14-18
Big Spring beats Hereford, 2-1
Game 1: Big Spring 2, Hereford 1
Game 2: Hereford 1, Big Spring 0
Game 3: Big Spring 2, Hereford 0
Records: Big Spring 22-9; Hereford 13-14
Snyder sweeps Dumas, 2-0
Game 1: Snyder 11, Dumas 1
Game 2: Snyder 8, Dumas 4
Records: Snyder 19-8; Dumas 11-17
Lubbock Estacado beats Pampa, 2-1
Game 1: Pampa 5, Estacado 3
Game 2: Estacado 4, Pampa 2
Game 3: Estacado 6, Pampa 5
Records: Estacado 18-14; Pampa 15-12
Class 3A
Bushland sweeps Slaton, 2-0
Game 1: Bushland 4, Slaton 2
Game 2: Bushland 17, Slaton 4
Records: Bushland 21-2; Slaton 5-19
Idalou sweeps River Road, 2-0
Game 1: Idalou 4, River Road 2
Game 2: Idalou 9, River Road 4
Records: Idalou 17-5; River Road 14-11.
Abernathy 11, Dalhart 1, one game
Records: Abernathy 17-6; Dalhart 8-7
Shallowater sweeps Dimmitt, 2-0
Game 1: Shallowater 17, Dimmitt 0
Game 2: Shallowater 11, Dimmitt 1
Records: Shallowater 28-1-1; Dimmitt 7-17.
Class 2A
Wellington sweeps Sanford-Fritch, 2-0
Game 1: Wellington 12, Fritch 1
Game 2: Wellington 11, Fritch 7
Records: Wellington 11-6; Fritch 10-8.
Sunray 8, Memphis 4, one game
Records: Sunray 7-7; Memphis 7-8.
Clarendon sweeps WT High, 2-0
Game 1: Clarendon 11, WT High 0
Game 2: Clarendon 11, WT High 5
Records: Clarendon 17-4; WT High 11-11.
Gruver 24, Shamrock 9, one Game
Records: Gruver 11-4; Shamrock 1-10.
Kress 8, Booker 1, one game
Records: Kress 14-6; Booker 8-6.
Nazareth 20, Follett 0, one game
Records: Nazareth 14-0; Follett 2-7.