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Reversal of fortunes: Wildcats batter East, move ahead in 8-5A title chase
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
After more than three weeks of playing catch-up, the Plano Senior baseball team now has the inside track on the District 8-5A Championship.
The Wildcats found themselves in that position after toppling the same team it had been chasing since late March, turning back Plano East for a 7-2 victory Friday that nudged Plano ahead in the race for the 8-5A crown.
"It's a relief," said Rick Robertson, Plano head coach. "We came over here and beat a very good ball club tonight. I'm really proud of the way our guys came out focused and ready to play."
In the first meeting, the East bats riddled the Plano defense for 11 hits while limiting the Wildcats to one run for just the first time all season.
What a difference three weeks can make, looking no further than the pitching of senior Hunter Raley. Saddled with a loss during the team's first go-around with East, the southpaw's bid for redemption Friday proved well-timed, stymieing the Panthers to just two runs on four hits, while walking four and striking out nine over 6.1 innings of work.
"I don't think I gave East enough respect the first time," Raley said. "They're a great team and they just took me like I was giving them what they wanted."
Raley's outing complemented a lineup that gave the Panthers little room for comfort, out-hitting East, 11-5, on the night.
A bastion of consistency from the plate, Plano came away with all seven runs on eight hits through four innings, attacking from the onset behind an RBI on a fielder's choice by senior Justin Arrington, followed by an RBI single by junior Michael Crawford for the 2-0 edge after one frame.
Freshman Mitchell Hansen extended that lead one inning later, careening the ball down just inside the first-base line to score freshman Cody Farhat. Hansen would be plated one batter later following an RBI double by senior Max Negoslawski.
"We've been practicing all week just to get base-hits," Raley said, "because that's what East did the last time we faced them. We had to give them some respect."
It meant paying mind to East junior Ryan Boucher, who was set back for only the first time in district play on Friday. An uncharacteristic night for the righty, Boucher was limited to just three innings, during which he struck out three and walked one while surrendering five runs on six hits -- the last of which was a third-inning RBI single by Farhat that scored Arrington.
Senior reliever Alex Stuart limited the Wildcats to just four base-runners over the final three innings but not before yielding a two-run homer by senior Matt McLean in the fourth inning to give Plano a 7-1 cushion.
The Panthers weren't as fortunate, putting balls in play that never found an opening or were swallowed up by the Plano outfield.
East was game early though, countering Plano's two-run opening frame with one run of its own after senior Clark Kahawaii plated senior Sam Lane. That same inning, East loaded the bases with two outs, only for Raley to stand firm and snag a high grounder by sophomore James Rudkin to close the frame.
Senior Cooper Smalls added the team's final run in the fourth inning on an RBI single that scored junior Cooper Sanders. East wouldn't advance another runner to third until the seventh inning when juniors Nick Ramos and Ryan Kravik occupied the corners with two outs.
A line-out to junior Ryan Thomas by Kahawaii sealed the Plano win and marked East's second straight setback after ripping off eight consecutive 8-5A wins. The win also moved Plano within one victory of an outright district title, which can be claimed Friday at 7:30 p.m. at home, should they top Plano West.
The Panthers will look to rebound in their district finale at that same time at Lewisville.
"We have our ups and downs, no doubt," Robertson said. "Maybe the difference in that first game was East and maybe they just put it on us. We definitely didn't play our best ball that night and even now, I still think we can get better.
"I think we've got kids who can swing better and that's what's exciting about this club: we're not there yet, but we're still playing pretty dang well right now."
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