Bulldogs play for title after protest, wins

BRENHAM, Texas-It was a weird twist of fate.

After seemingly losing to Bowie County and being knocked out of the state tournament, the American Legion Texarkana Bulldogs turned it all around on Saturday.

Bulldog head coach Kevin Sutton protested Bowie County's 3-1 win because the Eagles did not have at least 12 players on their roster. Texarkana won the protest and the loss became a win.

The American Legion rules state that each team must have at least 12 players on their roster.

With the win, the Bulldogs took on League City in the afternoon game. Texarkana faced elimination and came through with a 12-8 victory at Fireman's Park.

The Bulldogs (31-7-1) play League City today at 9 a.m. for the state championship.

Texarkana and League City each have a record of 2-1 in the double elimination state tournament.

 

Texarkana 12, League City 8

Starting Bulldog pitcher Hunter Allen earned the win, gave up four runs on seven hits, and struck out six over six innings.

Zane Cox's fielder's choice brought the first run across for the Bulldogs in the first frame.

Texarkana plated four runs in the third inning. Marzavin Riles went yard on a 3-2 count for a 2-run round tripper. A League City error led to another Bulldog run. Keaton Russo's sacrifice bunt scored a run for Texarkana.

Chris Lyles hit a solo homer in the fourth for the Bulldogs.

League City put up four runs in the seventh frame, but it wasn't enough.

Tucker Anderson and Cross Holder each pitched in relief for the Bulldogs. Anderson got the last two outs of the game. Cox and Lyles paced Texarkana with three hits each, while teammate Chris Sutton had two hits.

 

Bulldogs win after protest

Bowie County got what it needed early, but would end up losing the game to an upheld Bulldog protest.

The Eagles put up three runs in the first on three hits and initially defeated the Texarkana Bulldogs, 3-1, in an elimination game of the American Legion Texas state tournament at Fireman's Park on Friday.

Matthew O'Neal pitched a complete game 3-hitter, threw 82 pitches, allowed a run, struck out three, walked two, and hit a batter.

The Eagles struck first with three runs in the first frame. Tanner Pounds hit an infield single and stole second. O'Neal hit an RBI single to left which advanced Ethan Brooks, who was hit by a pitch to third.

Tyler Strain slapped an RBI single to left and O'Neal scored on Braydon Solida fielder's choice to make it 3-0.

Josh Brown hit a Texas Leaguer that went for a single for Bowie County in the fifth frame, but Texarkana got out of the inning with a double play.

O'Neal, Strain, and Solida strung three singles together with two outs in the sixth. But O'Neal was thrown out at the plate by Texarkana's Cooper Perry for the third out.

Sutton hit an RBI single to right field to score Riles, who was hit by a pitch, for the Bulldogs' first run of the game in the sixth. Riles had moved up to second on a stolen base.

T.J. Krause led off Texarkana's seventh with an infield single. But O'Neal got the next three batters to fly out to end the game.

Brayden Ross took the loss, tossed 90 pitches over seven innings, struck out three, did not walk a batter, allowed three runs on seven hits, and hit two batters.

 

Bowie County    300    000    0    -    3    7    0

Texarkana    000    001    0    -    1    3    0

Matthew O'Neal and Josh Brown. Brayden Ross and Keaton Russo. WP-O'Neal. LP-Ross.

Upcoming Events