BUDA – Only one run separated Boerne Champion (33-7-1) and Leander Rouse (34-4) in Game 1 of their best-of-three, fourth-round series that started Wednesday at Buda Johnson.
Both teams scored early, and the Chargers plated a run in the first, but the Raiders punched in two runs in the second and that’s where it stayed after neither team scored over the last five frames.
Rouse claimed the 2-1 win and took a 1-0 series lead. It’s the first Game 1 the Chargers have dropped in the postseason so far. They needed to win Game 2 on Friday to force a third game on Saturday, which has been moved to Seguin, 2 p.m.
Champion had a good start against Rouse pitcher Jacob Sainz, who is undefeated this year. Cal Isley tagged Sainz for a single in the first and then Isley stole his 27th base of the season to get into scoring position at second.
With two outs, clean-up hitter Jaedyn Yamaguchi singled to bring in Isley and the Chargers were up 1-0 in the first but were kept off the board in the last six innings.
Rouse answered with two runs in the bottom of the second. The first three batters reached base after a hit batter, a fielder’s choice and a walk.
With two outs and runners at first and second, Rouse’s Leon Mongold smacked a double to left field to bring in Christian Caro from second. Brody Sharp was on first and made it to third and then scored on an errant throw to the plate for the 2-1 lead.
It stayed there as it turned into a pitcher’s duel. Both hurlers pitched well enough to win after Champion’s Ethan Coleman only gave up 2 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 6. The only other hit Coleman surrendered besides Mangold’s double came in the fifth inning to Jacob Soliz.
For the Raiders, Sainz yielded 4 hits, 1 walk and fanned 4 batters and improved his record to 10-0.
The final hit that Sainz gave up came to Zak Al-Arashi in the seventh inning when the Chargers tried to mount a comeback. The pinch runner stole second and made it third on a ground out with two outs.
Brody Bendele came up and took a walk, but the base runner at third came too far off the bag after the Bendele walk and was caught in a rundown where he was tagged out to end it.
Al-Arashi and Isley singled, Yamaguchi recorded 2 of their 4 hits and had their only RBI, while Isley scored their only run of the contest.
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