GARY, Texas-Atlanta rallied back from a 1-0 deficit in the series to double-dip White Oak Friday to claim the series victory in dominant fashion.
Max Ebarb avenged a brief and rocky appearance in the opener, when he allowed five runs in less than an inning, by throwing five innings of 1-hit ball to power the Rabbits to a 14-2 run-rule win in Game 3 at Gary's Bobcat FIeld.
Earlier Friday, Atlanta (19-8-1) bested the Roughnecks (22-10-1) in Game 2 with a late rally for an 8-2 victory. The Rabbs advance to play Van Alstyne in the Region II-3A semifinals next week.
Ebarb threw 68 pitches and gave up two runs on one hit. He struck out four, walked two and hit one, settling down after a shaky first inning.
Kade Wood notched a pair of strikeouts in the sixth to close out the game.
After closing out Game 2 with seven unanswered runs, Atlanta kept the offense going in the rubber game.
The Rabbs sent 10 batters to the dish in the first, chased the White Oak starter and led 5-0 before the Roughnecks ever picked up a bat. White Oak plated a pair in the bottom of the first, but Ebarb settled down and retired 12 in a row after closing the first with back-to-back strikeouts.
That streak was snapped with a walk in the bottom of the fifth, when the Rabbs led 7-2. A double play erased the base runner.
Atlanta started the game with seven straight hits.
Wood doubled down the left field line to begin the game, and Cooper McClure roped a single to right. Jake Thompson doubled in a run with his drive to left-center, and Ebarb had an RBI hit to left for a 2-0 lead.
The courtesy runner was picked off first for the initial out.
Andy Samples looped an RBI single to right, and Kelby Smith lined a single. After the Smith single, the Roughnecks made a pitching change.
Hunter Allen singled to left to make it 5-0 on an 0-2 count, and Smith scored on a passed ball.
A fielder's choice preceded Jackson Warren's single to right, but the courtesy runner was caught off of the bag to end the inning.
Jacob Young had the lone hit off Ebarb in the first, which saw a walk and hit batsman also. Both runs scored on wild pitches.
In the fifth, the Rabbs got the two runs back and prompted another pitching change.
Ebarb beat an infield single to start the inning, and the courtesy runner was bunted to second. Smith was hit by a pitch, and a wild pitch scored the first run.
A passed ball led to a throwing error, allowing another run to come across for a 7-2 Atlanta lead. The Rabbs loaded the bases, but a 6-4-3 double play prevented any more damage.
In the bottom of the frame with a runner at second, Atlanta freshman third baseman Cooper McClure saved a hit with a diving stop in the hole, chased the runner back towards the bag, and threw out the batter at first.
First baseman Thompson threw back across to a shortstop Wood, who was sliding just ahead of the runner and made the tag behind his back to complete the double play.
Ebarb followed a pair of walks with a triple to the wall in left-center, staking the Rabbs to a 9-2 lead in the sixth. He scored on a fielder's choice.
Allen added a double in the sixth, and he scored on Carson Rich's infield single, racing around from second on the grounder towards second. Following two walks, McClure lined a two-run single to right. Thompson added a run-scoring hit.
The Rabbs touched up five White Oak pitchers for 14 hits. They also issued seven walks and hit two.
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Atlanta=500=027=-=14=14=0
White Oak=200=000=-=2=1=1
Game called after six innings, 10-run rule.
Max Ebarb, Kade Wood (6) and Jackson Warren. Collin Bower, Jacob Young (1), Blake Barlow (5), Landon Anderson (6), Cason SIegley (6) and Graham Young. WP-Ebarb. LP-Bower.