Class 2A showdown looms for Eagles
Hooks uses pitching to eliminate Coogs
By BOB WARD Special to The Enterprise

CARTHAGE - Hooks needed just one inning to eliminate Buna from the state baseball playoffs. Scoring all six of their runs in the top of the third, the Hornets finished off a twogame sweep of a best-ofthree Class 2A regional semifinal series on Saturday, 6-0, at Jim Reeves Memorial Field.

Buna, which finished the season at 22-7, was outscored 16-0 in the two games. The Cougars managed just four hits against Hooks' pitching. In Thursday's opener, Hornet pitcher Josh Stevens tossed a no-hitter.

Hooks improves to 26-8 and advances to the Region III finals next week.

Buna got hits from Drew Flanigan, Josh Clark, Blanton Craft and Justin Carrell. Flanigan's single up the middle came in the bottom of the first as the Cougars quickly ended Hooks' hopes of a second no-hitter.

However, Buna had few scoring opportunities against Hornet left-hander Trey Simmons. The Cougars twice had a runner reach third base. In the second inning, Clark singled with one out, advanced to second on a groundball out and reached third following a Hooks error. However, he was left stranded.

Clark reached base again in the seventh on the Hornets' third error of the game, took second on a groundball putout and went to third off Carrell's infield single. With one out, Kyle Clark lifted a high flyball to left fielder Brady Ridge, who made the catch and threw the ball to third baseman Tony Hight, who in turn relayed the throw to catcher Brandon Choate for a game-ending double play as Clark was tagged out at the plate.

Buna managed a baserunner in every inning but the sixth, but the Cougars also had a runner thrown out attempting to steal second and had another picked off at first base by the Hornets.

Hooks, meanwhile, needed just the one inning against Buna sophomore pitcher Brandon Hillin. The Hornets did all their damage with just one hit. They finished with six in the game.

Tad Hill, who was 2-for-2 at the plate, led off the third with a walk. It would be the first of four bases on balls surrendered by Hillin in the inning. Matt Ridge then delivered a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left field for a tworun homer and a 2-0 Hornet lead.

Jon Phillips, Choate and Junior Willis each walked to load the bases. Hillin caught a break against Kyle Fisher as he snared a line drive for the first out, and nearly doubled Phillips off third for a double play. But Hight followed with a hard smash that ricocheted off Buna shortstop Josh Clark that allowed two runs to score. On the play, the Cougars attempted to tag out Hight in a rundown, when second baseman Kyle Clark threw the ball into the Buna dugout for a two-base error that allowed Willis to score. Hight eventually scored the sixth run of the inning on a wild pitch with Stevens batting.

That would be all the Hornets would need. Riddle also had a pair of hits, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Hight's double in the second and Choate's single in the seventh were the only other Hooks' hits.