Bobcats and Panthers split their series as each win on the road

Longtime rivals Comfort and Blanco met on the baseball diamond this past week and each team managed to win on the other’s home field.

Comfort picked up an 8-7 win Monday in Blanco, but the Panthers returned the favor Thursday and defeated the Bobcats in Comfort, 7-0.

The Cats are 4-4 in district and 9-11 overall. Comfort closes out the regular season this coming week with two games against Llano. They hosted the Yellowjackets Tuesday and play at Llano on Friday.

Blanco 7, Comfort 0

Comfort knocked out 5 hits in the game, all singles, but wasn’t able to push in a run.

Brooks Davis tallied 2 hits, while Gunner Carpenter, Tucker Rust and Owen Schulze all had one hit apiece.

Martinez pitched a strong game for Blanco and didn’t walk a batter, while striking out 9 on an efficient 87 pitches.

Zach Jones started on the mound and went 4.1 innings on the hill and yielded 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 5 walks and fanned 3.

Carpenter finished out the game on the mound and only gave up a hit in 2.2 innings of work. He only gave up 1 hit, no walks and struck out a batter.

Comfort 8, Blanco 7

The Bobcats put together a rally to defeat Blanco Monday night.

Comfort was down 6-3 at one point but scored 5 runs in the top of the fifth frame to help the Cats claim the 8-7 victory.

With Comfort trailing 6-3 in the fifth frame, Tucker Rust and Rhyder George both singled to start the inning and then Judd Lozano was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Dax Stehling walked to bring in a run and make it 6-4. The next batter popped up for the first out, but Mason Matt came up and was hit by a pitch to bring in another run and it was 6-5.

A fielder’s choice cost the Bobcats another out, but it also brought in another run and tied it at 6-6. From there, Gunner Carpenter recorded the hit of the game after he doubled to push in 2 more runs and give Comfort the 8-6 lead before Blanco could get out of the inning.

The Panthers picked up a run in the bottom half of the fifth inning and made it a onerun game at 8-7 and in the sixth, Blanco loaded the bases with two outs via a dropped third strike and two walks but Comfort pitcher Mason Matter got the next batter to fly out to center field.

The Panthers also put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh via walks, but once again, the Bobcat defense held tough and didn’t surrender a run.

Rust started on the mound and went 4.1 innings and gave up 5 hits, 2 earned runs, walked 4 and struck out 1 batter.

Matter finished out on the hill and threw the final 2.2 innings. He didn’t allow a hit or run, walked 4 and struck out a batter.