Game  3:

Courtesy of The Facts: Bucs shock No. 1 team in the nation
By Billy Loveless
Published May 31, 2009

STAFFORD — The giant has fallen. And the Brazoswood Buccaneers delivered the knockout blow.

Brazoswood — the state’s No. 8-ranked team — turned in two huge offensive innings and a strong all-around pitching performance to down nationally No. 1-ranked Bellaire, 13-5, on Saturday at Ray Knoblauch Field in Stafford to win its Class 5A, Region III region-semifinal series, 2-1.

The victory propels Brazoswood (29-3) into the region finals next week against Pearland, which defeated Katy in two straight games in the other semifinal. The winner earns a ticket to the state tournament in Austin. Pearland defeated Brazoswood in their only meeting earlier this year. Bellaire’s season ends with a 32-4 record.

“This feels good,” Brazoswood coach Bobby Williams said. “We’re going to enjoy this for the rest of today and tomorrow, and then we’re going to get back to work and prepare for Pearland.”

Saturday’s victory also was the Bucs’ second straight win on Bellaire’s home field after losing in the series opener Thursday at Wilson Field in Clute.

Offensively, Brazoswood did a bulk of its damage with a seven-run fourth inning to grab a big lead, and a four-run seventh to put the contest away. In the process, the Bucs smashed 14 hits, including home runs from Derek Hamilton, Tyler Green and Andrew Garner.

The shots by Hamilton and Green came back-to-back in a furious fourth inning in which Brazoswood had seven hits to erase a 3-1 deficit and turn it into an 8-3 lead.

“Our kids feed off each other,” Williams said. “One or two of them get a hit and they feed off it. They get the adrenaline pumping, and that picks up the focus and concentration at the plate. They’ve been like that all year.”

But there were more highlight-reel plays in the decisive inning than just the two round-trippers. Troy Deska also perfectly executed a suicide squeeze bunt with the bases loaded, while Cody Williams put down a beautiful bunt hit earlier in the frame. In all, Ben Coram, Williams, Deska, Cody Stump, Will Bedell, Hamilton and Green all had base knocks in the inning.

The Bucs added four more runs in the seventh when Coram, Garner, Jake Gonzalez and Cody Williams delivered four straight hits to extend the advantage to 13-5.

Bellaire used five pitchers in the game, including starter Tyler Duffey, who was roughed up for eight runs.

Duffey pitched in relief during Bellaire’s victory Thursday.

“We knew we could beat them all along,” Hamilton said of winning two straight games over Bellaire. “After we lost that first game, we just knew we couldn’t let it happen again.”

Another Buc player who entered Saturday’s game with confidence was starting pitcher Anthony McIntyre. And it showed, as he held the powerful Cardinal lineup to three runs and three hits in four innings of work. The senior hurler also had two strikeouts.

For McIntyre, one of the keys to Brazoswood’s victory was playing a solid game Friday to even the series.

“That game was really important,” McIntyre said. “It gave us that fire and made us want more. We came out and got it. This was amazing.”

The Bucs used four pitchers in Saturday’s contest, with Jake Gonzalez taking over for McIntyre in the fifth frame. Gonzalez got the Bucs out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in that inning with only two runs of damage, which kept Brazoswood’s lead at the time to four runs, 9-5.

Green, who pitched seven innings and 126 pitches on Friday, threw 1 2/3 innings of relief, while Hamilton faced the final two batters to earn the save.

As a whole, Brazoswood’s pitching staff limited Bellaire to only four hits. The Bucs, on the other hand, finished with 14 hits, including three from Garner, two each from Coram, Gonzalez and Cody Williams, and one apiece from Will Bedell, Hamilton, Green, Cody Stump and Deska.

Game 2:

Courtesy of The Facts: Bucs extend series with Bellaire
By Joel Luna
Published May 30, 2009

HOUSTON — Needing a win to extend the three-game series against No. 1 nationally ranked Bellaire, the Brazoswood Buccaneers brought Tyler Green and their sticks.

The Bucs knotted the series at one game each with a 6-4, Game 2 win Friday night at Knoblauch Field at Butler Stadium to force a decisive third game. First pitch will be at 2 p.m. today back at Knoblauch Field.

“I think we didn’t make the mistakes tonight. I think our kids played just as well yesterday,” Brazoswood baseball coach Bobby Williams said.

“Tyler threw a great ball game, very gutsy performance by Tyler, he was on. He had his fastball going, curveball, real good changeup with good location and the kids backed him up on defense,” Williams said.

Unlike Thursday, when Brazoswood couldn’t come up with those crucial hits, it was another story Friday night.

One of the biggest blows came from the bat of Andrew Garner, who was back in the starting lineup after breaking his nose against Clear Creek last weekend.

Garner had a bases-clearing double to the gap in center field in the top of the fifth to break a 2-2 tie.

“He’s a tough kid and he is the type of kid you want in there when you have players on base,” Williams said. “He can look just as bad as any of them but then come around and smack one to the wall. He is a great hitter.”

The table was set for Garner’s standup double when Will Bedell singled to start the frame. Derek Hamilton then reached on a sacrifice attempt after no one was covering first base, and Ben Coram was intentionally walked.

As for Green, he went all seven frames, allowing just six hits to the Cardinals. Along the way, he got eight strikeouts and allowed five walks.

Asked if this was one of his best efforts on the mound, Green said, “No. I’ve been in this situation before, and this wasn’t anything close to what I’ve had,” Green said. “Creek might have been my best effort on the mound.”

Green was talking about the dramatic 8-7 win against their district rivals a week ago in a one-game playoff.

The Bucs took the initial lead on Bellaire in the first when Jake Gonzalez came up with a two-out single to left to score courtesy runner John Ermis and Coram. Ermis took over for Green, who walked, as did Coram.

Brazoswood held the lead until the Cardinals tied it in the bottom of the fourth.

The No. 9 hitter for the Bucs, Cody Stump, got into the action in the top of the sixth, when he smacked a 1-1 count over the left field wall for their final run of the game.

Anthony McIntyre is expected on the mound for the Bucs today, while Bellaire might counter with Tyler Duffey.

“I told them after the game we are only halfway there because we have to take care of business tomorrow,” Williams said. “The kids want Pearland, but I told them that in order to get to Pearland, you have to go through Bellaire.”

The Oilers defeated Katy in a two-game sweep of its region semifinal series with a 6-3 win Friday night at home.


Game 1:

Courtesy of The Facts: Bellaire takes lead over Bucs
By Jim Levesque
Published May 29, 2009 

CLUTE — Class 5A baseball heavyweights Brazoswood and Bellaire battled blow for blow in the main event Thursday at Wilson Field in a matchup that featured big hits and a Cardinals’ counterpunch the hometown Buccaneers were unable to stand up to.

The Buccaneers (27-3) kept jabbing away but couldn’t catch Bellaire (32-2) as the Cardinals earned a 7-5 win and took a tight one-game lead in the best-of-three regional semifinal series.

Trailing 7-3 in the final inning, the Bucs were able to put the tying run at the plate after scoring two runs on a Tyler Green sacrifice fly and a Ben Coram double. But with a runner on second base, Bellaire reliever Tyler Duffy worked out of a jam and held on for the win.

Bellaire struck first in the top of the second with a two-run single from Andrew Burns that split the drawn-in Brazoswood infield. Burns finished the night 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBI.

Brazoswood responded in the bottom of the fourth on a blast and Bellaire blunders.

Green hammered a one-out solo homer on the first pitch he saw from Cardinals’ starter Tollar Boardman to plate the Buccaneers’ first run. Coram struck out next, but reached first on a dropped third strike. He moved to second on a passed ball, reached third after a fielding error and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, 2-2.

The Cardinals took back the lead with a three-run fifth inning. An RBI double by Alex Silver and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Chaskin put the Cardinals up 4-2 and chased Colton Lindloff from the Buccaneer mound. Burns singled up the middle to drive in a run, but Jake Gonzalez gunned down a runner at the plate with a strike to catcher Cody Stump to end the inning.

The Buccaneers chipped at the lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but left the inning with the bases loaded.

Stump drew a two-out walk, Will Bedell legged out an infield single and Derek Hamilton watched a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Boardman was pulled from the Bellaire mound in favor of Bellaire’ ace Tyler Duffy, and he walked Green on a full count to make it 5-3.

Bellaire scored twice off an error in the top of the seventh to go ahead 7-3.

The series resumes at 8 p.m. today at Bellaire’s home turf, Knoblauch Field in Houston. Game 3, if needed, will be played at Knoblauch Field at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Courtesy of The Facts: Brazoswood holds off Creek for 8-7 win
By Joel Luna
Published May 25, 2009

LEAGUE CITY — Don’t be surprised when besides the word “clutch” in the dictionary, is also a picture of Brazoswood pitcher Anthony McIntyre. That is how big McIntyre’s effort was in helping the Buccaneers stave off a gutsy Clear Creek come back to preserve an 8-7 win late Saturday night in a one game playoff in the Class 5A Region III quarterfinal round.

With the game in hand the Bucs entered the bottom of the seventh inning with a four run lead. But Creek started a tension filled frame by loading the bases with a single, double and walk off Colton Lindloff.

Enter McIntyre, who gave up a double to Reed Gordy to close the gap to 8-6. An intentional walk loaded the bases again and this time the senior righty threw a wild pitch that scored another run. Another intentional walk loaded the bases yet again of Wildcats with no outs.

Brazoswood skipper Bobby Williams took one more trip to the mound.

“We were talking about them possibly squeezing a run in and with the winning run at second — there was a chance they might do that,” Williams said. “I just told them there is no room to walk them. You got to go at them. Go at them with your best stuff and that is what he did.”

McIntyre threw 10 more pitches after that conference and got three consecutive strikeouts as the Buc crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

“I tell you what, that is about as clutch as it gets,” Williams said. “People in the stands probably had no idea what kind of pressure was on that kid at that time. And he just through bombs. There was no finesse to it and he just said if you can hit it go ahead. I am unbelievably impressed by the way he threw the ball those last three outs.”

An elated McIntyre was all smiles and talked about Williams message to him with the bases juiced, no outs and a one run lead.

“He told me just to dig deep and keep throwing and that is what I did and not to let the crowd affect you,” McIntyre said. “ After the first strikeout I was like, ok, it should get easier after this and then the next strikeout came and I just kept it going from there.”

Known as a hard thrower, McIntyre knew what pitch was going to get the job done.

“My curve ball felt good, but I wasn’t getting on top of it that many times so my fast ball was the pitch I felt I could get by them,” McIntyre said.

Next up for Brazoswood is nationally ranked No. 1 Bellaire in the region semifinals.

Brazoswood’s offense came alive in the second as senior Ben Coram started the frame with a double to the right field wall. After a walk to junior Andrew Garner, Jake Gonzalez then slapped a single to right field which could have loaded the bases but on the same play the right fielder threw the ball away trying to make a play on the runner at second base scoring Coram.

Cody Williams then hit a grounder to the shortstop, who threw the ball away scoring Garner for a 2-0 lead. A well placed sacrifice bunt by Tanner Ritchey scored Gonzalez with the third run.

The offense continued to swing away adding a run in the fourth and then four more in the fifth for a commanding 8-2 lead.

Junior Tyler Green kept the Wildcats at bay allowing two runs in the third, but then struckout the side in the fifth. After Steve Collins led the sixth off with a single, Green came right back striking out the next three batters.

Baseball is a weird thing, it is a weird sport and you never know,” Williams said of the Creek’s come back. “Everything is just cruising right along and all of a sudden the wheels start to fall off. And the mark of a great team is being able to put the wheels back on while they are still going down the road. And that is what Anthony did and that is what the rest of them did.”

In the fifth there was a scary collision when Garner hit a grounder to second base. With nobody covering the bag at first, it was a race between Garner and the second baseman but both met head on. Garner was called safe but had to leave the game.

“He wasn’t going to give in, their guy was hustling to the bag and wasn’t going to give in,” Williams said. “I mean it was just two athletes getting after it and unfortunately Andrew took the brunt of it. He’s gone to the hospital to get checked out and probably get some stitches and get his nose reset. He’ll be all right but he’ll be dinged for a while.”

Will Bedell and Coram each finished with two hits in the win as seven other Bucs each had a hit.

HOUSTON — With back-to-back hits on consecutive two-out pitches, Andrew Garner and Jacob Gonzalez made sure Brazoswood’s playoff run continued.

The Buccaneer outfielders connected in a four-run sixth inning, and starting pitcher Tyler Green closed the door on Deer Park’s scoring chances as Brazoswood earned a 4-0 victory Tuesday at Cougar Field.

“The kids hung in there and finally made some adjustments at the end,” Brazoswood coach Bobby Williams said. “I’m proud of the way they were able to do that.”

The win on the University of Houston campus pushed the Buccaneers into the Class 5A Region III quarterfinals for the second straight year. They will play Clear Creek in the next round.

Brazoswood (25-2) totaled eight hits Tuesday against Deer Park, but didn’t string together knocks until the sixth inning after a defensive play by Garner in the bottom of the fifth kept the Deer off the scoreboard.

Deer Park got consecutive hits in the fifth to put runners on first and second. Then a two-out single by Zachary Schexnider into shallow right field brought teammate Sam Padgett around third toward home. Garner fielded the ball and fired to the plate where catcher Will Bedell snagged the ball and applied the tag in front of a head-first slide for the final out of the inning.

Bedell led off the top of the sixth for the Buccaneers with a walk. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and pinch runner John Ermis took his place and reached third on a sac fly by Green. With two outs, the Deer gave Ben Coram a free pass on an intentional walk to bring Garner to the plate with runners on the corners.

“They didn’t think I could do it — that’s what it pretty much said,” Garner said of the walk. “I’ve been in that situation and I knew I could do it.”

Garner jumped on the first pitch he saw with an RBI single for a 1-0 lead. Jacob Gonzalez came to the plate next and connected on the first pitch with a two-run triple deep to right-center field to make it a 3-0 advantage.

“Jake gave us that breathing room,” Williams said. “He has so many clutch hits, that’s just another notch in his gun belt.”

Cody Williams followed with a third straight hit, a towering RBI ground-rule double to left field that bounced over the fence after the Deer Park fielder fell at the warning track.

With a 4-0 lead, Green struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth. He ended his night with six shutout innings, allowing seven hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks for his second straight playoff win.

“(Tyler) has the ability when he does get in a jam to overpower hitters, and that’s what he did,” Coach Williams said. “He made a few mistakes and we made a few mistakes on pitches called they took advantage of. But when it came down to it in crunch time with runners on third base, he stepped up to it and did an excellent job.”

Colton Lindloff pitched the seventh inning for the Bucs, giving up just one hit.

Courtesy of The Facts: Bucs take one game lead
By Billy Loveless
Published May 15, 2009

Sugar Land - Brazoswood's baseball team used a five-run second inning Thirsday to take a big lead on the way to a 9-4 win over Fort Bend Travis in the first game of a best-of-three series at Frankie Field in Sugar Land.

The Bucs had four hits in the crucial inning, with the highlight play coming off the bat of Derek Hamilton.  The Bucs' junior shortstop made solid contact on a two-out pitch and sent the ball over the left-field fence for a three-run homer.  Cody Williams, Tanner Ritchey and Ben Coram also had base hits in the inning.

By the time the smoke cleared, Brazoswood had a 6-1 advantage.

Travis came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning, but wouldn't get any closer.  The Tigers had some solid hits to help them stay in the game and the Bucs provided some assistance in the opening few innings with uncharacteristic mistakes.  

"The kids played hard, but I think that was one of the sloppiest games we've played all year," Brazoswood's head coach Bobby Williams said. "But if you can win the sloppy ones, it's a very good thing.  Hopefully, we will come out a littler sharper (today)."

The Class 5A Region III bi-district round moves to Brazoswood's Wilson Field tonight with an 8:00pm start as the Bucs (23-2) look to close out Travis with another victory.  If a third game is necessary, it will be played 2pm Saturday at Clear Creek High School.

"Coming out of the gate and winning on the road in a three game series is a really great thing," Williams said.  "We're not going to look past the next game, but this does give a comfort level in case you stumble a bit."

Brazoswood ended Thursday's contest with eight hits and scored in each of the first four frames.  The Bucs also plated one run in the first and fourth inning, as well as two in the fourth.  Tyler Green earned the win for Brazoswood, throwing six innings, and striking out six.  Green allowed eight hits and three walks.  Jacob Gonzalez pitched the final frame for the Bucs, striking out one and allowing one hit.

Matt Hernandez took the loss for Travis (16-11), giving up eight hits.  He fanned six and walked three. 

"Tyler threw 99 pitches and was on a 100-pitch limit, so he had one pitch to spare," Williams said.  "He didn't have his best stuff, but he really battled.  But he's only ptiched 10 innings in district, so I wasn't expecting him to be razor sharp.  I think he'll have a lot better stuff the next time he goes out."

The Bucs helped their pitcher out with all of their runs coming in the first four innings.  Hamilton scored the Bucs' first run after walking in the first inning and eventually scoring on a Coram groundout.

After the five-run second, Brazoswood upped its lead to 7-4 in the third when a Cody Williams squeeze bunt plated Andrew Garner.  A two-run fourth frame extended the advnatage to 9-4.  Green had a double in the inning and Coram knocked him in with a single. 

Travis scored all four of its runs in the first two innings.

Coram finished with two hits for the Bucs.  Hamilton, Green, Garner, Williams, Ritchey and Troy Deska  all had one hit each.  Tyler Ford paced Travis with a 3-for-3 game.

Courtesy of The Facts: Bucs pound Fort Bend Travis, advance
By Billy Loveless
Published May 16, 2009 

CLUTE — A near-capacity crowd filled Wilson Field on Friday anticipating a tough, tight and suspenseful contest between two Class 5A baseball teams. The Brazoswood Buccaneers, however, had other plans.

The Bucs stormed out of the gate with a huge opening inning to put the game out of reach early in a 13-2, five-inning, run-ruled victory over the Fort Bend Travis Tigers. With the win, Brazoswood claims the Region III bi-district series, 2-0. The Bucs defeated the Tigers in Thursday’s series-opening game by a 9-4 score.

To say the Bucs removed the suspense from Friday’s home playoff opener before the first inning ended would be an understatement. They did it before the first out was recorded.

Brazoswood slapped four hits — including three extra-base hits — and five runs before the initial out was recorded.

By the time the opening inning ended, the Bucs had sent 14 batters to the plate, pounded out six hits and jumped out to a 9-1 advantage.

Derek Hamilton, Andrew Garner and Jake Gonzalez all hit doubles in the frame, while Tyler Green, Cody Williams and Ben Coram added singles. While Brazoswood was ripping the ball to all parts of the park, the Tigers made it more difficult on themselves by walking four batters and making two errors in the inning.

Travis was unable to overcome the early rally as Brazoswood spent the rest of the game extending its lead.

“We got out of the gates very well tonight and that makes the game a lot easier,” Brazoswood coach Bobby Williams said. “The kids swung the bats great. That was the plan, and it’s nice when it works.”

The win also was a big positive in that it came on the heels of Thursday’s game, in which, despite the victory, Williams felt his team didn’t play up to its potential.

“This was a polar opposite of last night,” Williams said. “We scored six runs in the first two innings last night, but we still played sloppy. Today we played a complete game. We threw the ball well, we hit the ball well and our defense was a ton better than it was yesterday. We were a lot more aggressive tonight.”

By winning the series, Brazoswood (24-2) will next face Deer Park, which defeated North Shore on Friday, in the area round early next week at a site to be determined. Travis ends its season with a 16-12 record.

Brazoswood’s matchup with Deer Park will have a little extra intensity in it because it will be a one-game, winner-take-all contest.

The University Interscholastic League mandated all area-round baseball games to be one-game playoffs because of the H1N1 virus scare that recently stopped all UIL activities for almost two weeks.

“I know that Deer Park is a good, solid ballclub and the tough thing is that it’s a one-game series, so anything can happen,” Williams said. “We can’t afford to play sloppy. There won’t be any room for mistakes in the next round.”

While the nine-spot in the opening inning provided a huge advantage in Friday’s bi-district series-clinching game, the Bucs didn’t stop there. Brazoswood continued its hit parade with a four-run third inning that included doubles by Green, Coram and Garner, and singles by Will Bedell and Hamilton, to up the score to 13-1.

In all, Brazoswood finished with 12 hits, including two each from Hamilton, Green, Coram, Garner and Gonzalez, and one apiece by Bedell and Williams.

Colton Lindloff pitched four innings for Brazoswood, giving up four hits and walking one while striking out two batters. Anthony McIntyre closed the game in highly impressive fashion with three consecutive strikeouts after allowing a hit to start the final inning.

Travis starting pitcher Tyler Ford allowed four hits and one walk, with five runners crossing the plate while he was on the mound, and didn’t register an out.

Matt Daniels followed with three innings of work, allowing eight hits, fanning three and walking one.

Chase Hodson closed the game with one inning of work, fanning three and walking two.

The Tigers completed the game with five hits.

Published May 12, 2009  

CLUTE — It was anything but easy, but the Brazoswood Buccaneers now can call themselves the 2009 District 24-5A champions.

The Bucs came up with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a one-run deficit en route to downing Gal-veston Ball in a 3-1 game Monday at Wilson Field in Clute.

With the victory, the Bucs claimed the 24-5A title, finishing at least one game ahead of second-place Alvin. The Yellowjackets faced Clear Brook late Monday with the result unknown at press time.

“I’m so proud of the kids,” Brazoswood coach Bobby Williams said. “This was their goal at the beginning of the year. Alvin made it tough on us, (Clear) Creek made it tough, everyone made it tough on us, but our kids did what they needed to do to get the job done.”

Brazoswood will enter the postseason with a 22-3 record (13-1 in district) and the No. 1 seed from the district. The Bucs have won their last 12 games and have not suffered a defeat on their home field this season.

The date and location of Brazoswood’s first-round opponent — which will be the fourth-place team from District 23-5A — will be determined at a 9 a.m. meeting Wednesday morning.

Against Ball, Brazoswood picked up the win despite only earning two hits through the first five innings. But the Bucs eventually broke through with a clutch hit, and it was Jake Gonzalez who got the job done.

After walks to Tyler Green and Andrew Garner, and a single by Ben Coram sandwiched in-between, loaded the bases with one out, Gonzalez smashed a two-strike single to left field to plate Green and Coram to not only erase a 1-0 deficit, but give Brazoswood a 2-1 lead.

“Jake did a good job staying with the curve ball and hitting it through the gap,” Williams said of Gonzalez’s hit. “He’s been working hard on the curve ball and that was a big-time hit for us.”

The Bucs followed with an insurance run when the next batter, Cody Williams, executed a squeeze bunt to bring Garner home for the 3-1 advantage.

Ball ends its season with a 5-9 district record and 11-12 overall.

“To be honest, I was very concerned going into the game,” Williams said. “Galveston Ball is a good ball club and every time they play us, they play us close. If you don’t get some clutch hits at just the right time, you’re in trouble against them.”

Up until the sixth inning, Ball pitcher Stef Hernandez had controlled the game, allowing only two hits and not letting a Buc runner pass second base.

At the same time, Brazoswood hurler Anthony McIntyre was almost impressive. The Buc senior gave up only two hits in 4 1/3 innings. He fanned five and walked three.

Ball’s lone run of the contest came in the opening inning when Rande Rivilla singled to right field to bring a runner home from third base to give the Tors a 1-0 lead.

The inning could have been worse for the Bucs if not for two outstanding defensive plays, which included a diving catch on a line drive by first baseman Tanner Ritchey, as well as an inning-ending strike to home plate by right fielder Garner to tag out a runner attempting to score.

The Tors threatened in both the fifth and sixth innings when they put runners on third and first with only one out. On both occasions, however, Brazoswood reliever Colton Lindloff halted the rallies without any runners touching home plate.

Lindloff finished with 2 2/3 innings of work with five strikeouts and three walks. He allowed two hits.

Overall, both teams completed the game with four hits each. Gonzalez had two of the Bucs’ hits, while Coram and Ritchey had one hit apiece.

Courtesy of The Facts Staff Reports:  Bucs blow out Clear Lake

Published May 9, 2009

LEAGUE CITY — The Brazoswood Buccaneers stomped Clear Lake 13-2 in a five-inning, run-rule win to stay atop the District 24-5A standings.

Brazoswood (12-1, 21-2) overall, will await the result of the Alvin (11-1, 23-3) and Clear Creek contest, which was supposed to be played Friday night. A sprinkler malfunction at Nolan Ryan Field postponed the game until 11 a.m. today in Alvin.

The Bucs counted on hits from their battery of bats against Clear Lake as the team scored three runs in the first inning. Single runs in the second and third upped the lead to 5-1 before Brazoswood closed it out with an eight-run fourth frame.

Derek Hamilton was 1-for-3 and finished with 4 RBI. He hit a grand slam in the fourth inning. Ben Coram finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI with a solo homer in the third. Cody Williams was 1-for-2 with a run scored, and Jake Gonzalez was 2-for-2 with a double, RBI and run scored.

Colton Lindloff went four innings for the win with six strikeouts, five walks and one earned run. Hamilton finished it off with two strikeouts in the fifth and one unearned run.

Clear Lake (6-7, 13-12) scored its other run in the second.

Brazoswood finishes the regular season at 7:30 p.m. Monday home game against Galveston Ball.

Courtesy of The Facts: Bucs get past Wildcats
By Billy Loveless 
Published April 27, 2009

Courtesy of The Facts: Brazoswood blanks Brook

By Joel Luna
Published April 23, 2009

FRIENDSWOOD — If the Brazoswood Buccaneers were thinking about their District 24-5A showdown with Clear Creek on Friday, they surely didn’t show it on Wednesday night against Clear Brook.

The Bucs (10-1 district, 20-2 overall) pounded the Wolverines for several long bombs en route to a 10-0 win to keep them tied for the district lead with Alvin.

“We talked about Friday’s game, but I told them every game is important and if we lost tonight or last night, those were just as important,” Brazoswood baseball coach Bobby Williams said. “The only reason Friday’s is important is because Creek has a better record. Tonight’s game was just as important and they are all important.”

The hits started early for Brazoswood as Will Bedell led the game off with a double to center field and was joined on the base paths by Derek Hamilton after a walk. A passed ball upped the runners to second and third. Then Tyler Green shot a ball down the third baseline that was scooped up by Brook’s third baseman and he threw out Bedell at home.

That left runners on the corners for Ben Coram, who with a couple of strikes launched a three-run shot over the left field wall to give the Bucs a 3-0 lead.

“I don’t want to jinx them or anything, but we are peaking at a good time,” Williams said. “I know we only had seven hits tonight, but now we are getting the hits when they count.”

Brazoswood added a couple runs in the second frame off two hits and two Wolverine errors to up the score to 5-0.

In that second frame, back-to-back singles by Cody Williams and Tanner Ritchey put Brazoswood in business. Kyle Zeien’s sacrifice bunt landed him on first after an errant throw from the pitcher. A fielder’s choice off Bedell’s bat scored Brazoswood’s fourth run and left runners on the corners. The Bucs’ fifth run scored when Bedell stole second and a high throw allowed Ritchey to cross the plate.
  

After flying out in his first at bat, Jake Gonzalez showed his power at the plate with solo home runs in the third and sixth innings to extend the Bucs lead to 7-0. Gonzalez also showed off his glove on the field. In the bottom of that sixth, he robbed D.J. Julks of a hit when he dove to snag a liner sailing away from him.
  

In the second inning, Buc starter Anthony McIntyre worked himself out of a jam by stranding two Wolverine runners. Colton Lindloff also saw action on the mound and he worked himself out of a bases-loaded situation in the fourth by striking out consecutive batters.  

The Bucs scored its final three runs in the top of the seventh.

Friday’s first pitch against the Wildcats is at 7:30 p.m. Creek is sitting a game back in the District 24-5A standings in third place.

Courtesy of The Facts Staff Reports: Buccaneers blow away Dickinson
Brazoswood belted 10 hits with a pair of homers Tuesday in a 13-1 five-inning win against the Gators in Dickinson.

Andrew Garner had 2 hits for the Buccaneers (9-1 District, 20-2 overall) and drove in two with three runs scored.  Cody Williams was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI.  Tyler Green scored three times and had a homerun and teammate Jake Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs.

Gonzalez pitched all 5 innings to earn the victory.  He struck out five batters and limited Dickinson to three hits.
  

Courtesy of The Facts Area RoundUp: Buccaneers shut down Clear Springs 13-0

Colton Lindloff and Jake Gonzalez combined to allow one hit over five innings and Brazoswood bats pounded away at Clear Spings on Thursday in a 13-0 District 24-5A win.  Lindloff earned the win in three innings of work.  He allowed just one hit with six strikeouts.  Gonzalez came in relief for two innings and struck out four batters without giving up a hit. 

Justin Garcia had two hits for Brazoswood (7-1, 17-2) with a homerun and 4 RBI.  Ben Coram went 2-for-2 with 2 RBI and a homer.  Will Bedell had two hits and drove in one run.

by Joshua Buckley - Published April 8, 2009

GALVESTON — It may count as a loss in the standings, but the Ball High Tornadoes said Tuesday’s 4-2 home loss to Brazoswood proved one thing — these young Tors can play with anybody.

Rande Revilla came within four outs of throwing a no-hitter for the Tors, before Brazoswood (16-2 overall, 6-1 district) was finally able to manufacture enough runs for the victory.

“Brazoswood’s a pretty good team and you can only hold them down for so long,” said Ball coach Jim Connor. “It would have been nice to pull this one out, but I still think it was a confidence booster. This is further proof that we can play with anyone.”

With Ball (11-8, 3-4) wanting to save ace Aaron Garza for Thursday’s game against Clear Lake, Connor decided to give Revilla the start. The strategy paid off early, as Revilla kept Brazoswood off balance and attacked the strike zone.

“It really was an unbelievable performance from him tonight,” Connor said. “I had a feeling he’d be able to do something against these guys and he didn’t let us down. He was in full command of his pitches for most of the game.”

“I didn’t find out until after the game that I had gone one through five without a hit,” Revilla said. “Coach did a great job calling the game. Every time they were looking for a fastball, coach called an off speed pitch, and they were always out in front of it.”

But the Bucs finally started to get to Revilla in the sixth.

After Cody Williams scored on an error in the outfield, Tyler Green recorded Brazoswood’s first hit of the game and drove in Will Bedell to tie the game at 2-2.

The Bucs tacked on two more in the seventh on a suicide squeeze by Williams and then a throwing error by Salinas, which scored Jake Gonzalez.

Ball couldn’t mount a comeback in the seventh, ending a two-game winning streak for the Tors.

Courtesy of The Facts:Bucs Pound Clear Lake

by Billy Loveless
Published April 4, 2009

CLUTE — Brazoswood’s baseball team had a walk in the park against Clear Lake Friday night — literally.

Although the Bucs finished with only five hits, they took advantage of an abundance of walks en route to a 10-0 five-inning, run-ruled victory over the Falcons at Wilson Field in Clute.

In all, Clear Lake’s pitching staff surrendered nine walks, with six of those runners eventually crossing the plate. A seventh Brazoswood runner came home after reaching base as a hit batsman.

While the Bucs were limited in the hit column, the hits they did get were plenty productive.

Jake Gonzalez and Derek Hamilton both slammed two-run homers to account for four Brazoswood runs. Tyler Green also had a three-run double, while Ben Coram earned an RBI of his own on a double down the first-base line. Will Bedell rounded out the Buc hitters with a second-inning single.

The Bucs scored in all five innings they came to the plate.

“We didn’t get a whole lot of hits, but the hits we did get we made them count,” Brazoswood coach Bobby Williams said. “It’s tough to hit when you get that many walks, but our kids did what they had to do. For five hits, 10 runs is pretty good.”

While Brazoswood’s ability to take advantage of Clear Lake’s bases on balls took the spotlight, a top-notch performance by Buc hurler Anthony McIntyre also was a huge story in the contest.

McIntyre allowed only one base hit — a fifth-inning single to the Falcons’ Will Elmore — and struck out seven in a complete-game performance.

The senior Buc hurler walked three batters, which provided Clear Lake with some scoring opportunities, but was able to pick the right pitches in order to get out of the jams.

“That’s where I think he’s matured as a senior,” Williams said of McIntyre. “When he does get in trouble with his control, he’s able to make the adjustments and get it back. Hopefully, this is a big step in the right direction for him.”

The win keeps Brazoswood near the top of the District 24-5A standings with a 5-1 record (15-2 overall). Clear Lake drops to 3-3 (10-8)

In Friday’s contest, Brazoswood sprinted out of the gate with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Bedell and Green drew walks, Bedell scored from third base on an errant pickoff throw to first, while Green came home on a double down the first-base line off Coram’s bat for the early 2-0 advantage.

In the next frame, Cody Williams and Tanner Ritchey reached on walks, and Bedell pounded an opposite-field single to load the bases. Green then drove a double to deep center field to clear the bases and extend the lead to 5-0.

Gonzalez upped the score to 7-0 in the third inning when he bashed a two-run homer over the left-field fence. The round-tripper plated Andrew Garner, who had reached on another Lake walk.

In the fourth inning, Brazoswood continued its trend of putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard when Hamilton hit the Bucs’ second two-run home run of the game. The shot came with Ritchey, who led off the inning by being hit by a pitch, on first base and gave Brazoswood a 9-0 lead.

The Bucs closed out the contest in the fifth inning with a walk-off base on balls. Jim Basque, who scored the game-ending run, opened the frame by reaching on a throwing error by the Falcons’ third baseman. Basque moved to third base on consecutive walks to Chase Gonzalez and Justin Garcia, and scored on a base on balls to Kyle Zeien.

Eric Ethridge pitched three innings for Clear Lake and took the loss.

Courtesy of The Facts: Brazoswood downs Clear Creek

By Jim Levesque
Published April 1, 2009

CLUTE — The Buccaneers survived a shaky first inning and lumped all of their runs in a single frame against the Clear Creek Wildcats on Tuesday to earn a slim District 24-5A victory.

Brazoswood scored all its five runs in the third — with a two-out, two-run homer from Tyler Green and a two-RBI triple by Jake Gonzalez — and held off the Wildcats for a 5-4 win at Wilson Field.

The win moved Brazoswood and Clear Creek into a tie atop the district standings at 4-1.

Clear Creek (10-6 overall) scored twice in the top of the first off Buc starter Anthony McIntyre, who gave up only one hit but walked four batters in 2/3 innings.

Colton Lindloff took the mound in relief and lasted 4-1/3 innings, giving up two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and four walks. Lindloff earned the win, and Green took over for the final two innings to get the save. Green struck out three batters and gave up just one hit.

Clear Creek starter Shawn Blackwell kept the Buccaneers (14-2) off-balance most of the night. He had 12 strikeouts in six innings of work and retired seven batters looking at their third strike.

Ben Coram singled twice for Brazoswood. Will Bedell and Cody Williams each had one hit for the Buccaneers.

Courtesy of The Facts: Bucs Hammer 5 Homers in Win

by Billy Loveless
Published March 29, 2009 

CLUTE — Wilson Field turned into a hitter’s paradise Saturday afternoon.

With strong winds blowing toward center field, Brazoswood’s baseball team hammered five home runs on its way to a 10-3 blowout victory over Dickinson.

Will Bedell, Derek Hamilton, Tyler Green, Anthony McIntyre and Chase Gonzalez all slammed round-trippers in the District 24-5A contest.

Even more impressive, the shots by Bedell and Hamilton were back-to-back, while Green’s blast sailed over the 28-foot high wall in the deepest section of the park 368 feet from home plate. While not over the tallest part of the wall, McIntyre and C. Gonzalez also cleared the center field fence.

“Our hitters really liked it,” Brazoswood coach Bobby Williams said of Saturday’s winds. “It’s very unusual for us to have the wind blowing out this time of year. The hitters took full advantage of it.”

The Bucs (3-1 district, 13-2 overall) finished with 13 hits in a game that wasn’t as close in reality as it appeared on the scoreboard. Williams began removing his starters after Brazoswood built an 8-0 lead in the fourth inning, and was eventually able to get all of his players into the contest.

“We got 19 players in,” Williams said. “That’s tough to do. It’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, but I really like it when I can do it. I love it when all of the players are involved in the game. Some of them had some real success today, too.”

The Bucs began their onslaught with a five-run third inning, which started with consecutive dingers by Bedell and Hamilton for a 2-0 lead. Green then doubled to left field and was plated one batter later on a double by Ben Coram. Jake Gonzalez followed with the third double of the inning to bring Coram home for a 4-0 advantage. Jake Gonzalez closed the scoring when he crossed home on a Tanner Ritchey single.

Brazoswood tacked on three more runs in the fourth frame when Green’s 3-run homer brought in Bedell and Hamilton, who reached on an error and a double, respectively.

McIntyre and Chase Gonzalez rounded out the scoring with home runs in the sixth inning.

While the Bucs’ bats highlighted the afternoon, starting pitcher Colton Lindloff kept Dickinson’s hitters off-balance. Lindloff earned the win after five innings of work, allowing only one hit and striking out five while walking one.

Dickinson (0-4, 4-11) pounded out five of its seven hits in a three-run sixth inning. During the rally, the Gators’ Josh Enger hit a home run.

Also pitching for Brazoswood were Scott Beatty and Hamilton. Beatty allowed five hits in the sixth inning, while Hamilton gave up one base knock in the seventh and fanned one.

Enger allowed nine hits and took the loss for Dickinson.

Hamilton, Green, Coram and Jake Gonzalez all finished with two hits for Brazoswood. Andrew Garner, Chase Gonzalez, McIntyre, Ritchey and Bedell had one hit apiece.

The Bucs' offense started fast with a lead off single by Will Bedell followed by a Derek Hamilton single.  Ben Coram drove in the first run of the game scoring Bedell, followed by a two RBI triple by Andrew Garner.  Jake Gonzalez finished the inning with a perfect squeeze bunt scoring Garner.

The Bucs offense stalled until the 5^th inning when the put up another 5 runs.  The final run came in the 6^th when Tyler Green hit his 5^th homerun of the season to center field. 

The Bucs continue district play Friday at Dickinson.  7:30 start.

Courtesy of The Facts:
Andrew Garner had two hits with a triple and drove in three runs to lead the Buccaneers to a 10-2 home win over Clear Brook on Tuesday in District 24-5A play.

Ben Coram went 2-for-2 and scored two runs for Brazoswood (2-1 district, 12-2 overall). Tyler Green smacked a homer and scored three times.

Jake Gonzalez drove in a run in the first inning on a suicide squeeze.

Anthony McIntyre picked up the win. He worked 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and gave up no earned runs.

CLUTE — The Brazoswood Buccaneers introduced the Clear Springs Chargers to District 24-5A baseball with a 14-4 pounding in a five-inning run-ruled game Tuesday night at Wilson Field in Clute.

Brazoswood (1-0 district, 10-1 overall) finished with 10 hits, and got a 3-for-3 performance from Andrew Garner.

At the same time, Clear Springs — which has no seniors on the squad and was playing in its first-ever varsity-level district game — helped Brazoswood out with a total of eight errors, three walks, two balks and three hit-batsmen.

“Our kids did exactly what they had to do tonight,” Brazoswood coach Bobby Williams said. “They put the pressure on them. Against a young team playing their first varsity district ballgame, our kids did exactly what I expected and hoped they would do.”

It was obvious after a four-hit first inning that the Bucs were looking for an early knockout. Derek Hamilton and Tyler Green both doubled in the inning, while Garner and Will Bedell reached on singles. The second inning only saw one Brazoswood hit — another single off Garner’s bat — but three walks, an error and a balk helped the Bucs to four more runs and a 9-0 lead.

Clear Springs had five of its six hits in the third to cut the lead to 9-3, but Brazoswood used a double by Ben Coram and singles by Garner and Bedell to up the advantage to 13-3.

The Chargers scored a run in the fourth to bring the deficit down to nine runs and that held until Eric Watts’ fifth-inning RBI single plated Chase Gonzalez to end the game.

While the Brazoswood’s bats were putting the ball in play, its pitching was just as effective, especially with starter Colton Lindloff in the game.

Lindloff only pitched the opening two innings, but struck out five of the six batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit to earn the win. Scott Beatty entered the game in the third and allowed five hits and three runs, including a homer by the Chargers’ Marcos Cardenas. Anthony McIntyre threw the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and fanning six.

“Lindloff was feeling his oats today,” Williams said of his starter. “He threw the ball extremely well. Anthony (McIntyre) came in and had a few control problems, but also threw the ball well. All in all, I was proud of how they both threw the ball tonight.”

While Garner was the Bucs’ only three-hit performer, Hamilton and Bedell pounded out two hits each. Green, Coram and Watts all had one hit.

4. Katy

5. Bellaire

6. Brazoswood

7. Tomball

8. Cy-Fair

8. Klein Oak
9. Spring 

10. College Park

1. Alvin (29) 

2. SB Memorial (10)

3. Tomball (1)

4. Cy-Fair (1)

5. Bellaire

6. Brazoswood

7. Katy

8. College Park

9. Klein Oak

1. Alvin (26)

2. SB Memorial (20)

3. College Park(3)

4. Cy-Fair (2)

5. Bellaire (2)

6. Brazoswood

7. Cy-Woods

8. Westside

9. Tomball

10. Katy