Published: May 15, 2008 12:28 pm            

Alto, Bullard teams in playoffs Friday

By Don Wallace

sports@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Three big games for area teams are set for Friday.

The Alto Jackets and Lady Jackets will be in playoff action as well as the Bullard Panthers.



Bullard Panthers

The Bullard Panthers are in the most precarious shape of any of the teams. They are playing a one game, winner-take-all playoff Friday at 7 p.m. against Pleasant Grove at Kilgore’s historic Driller Park in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals.

“We have to play it like there’s no tomorrow,” admitted Bullard head baseball coach Ronnie Dent.

The last time Bullard was in a one-game playoff it did not turn out well. The Panthers lost to White Oak, 5-4 in the bi-district round two years ago.

“It’s kind of hard for the kids to be relaxed, but we are confident. When you are in a one-game playoff, you could have an off night or make mistakes and the season is over. It’s hard on the nerves, but we have to step up and handle the situation,” Dent said.

Bullard comes into the game fresh from a sweep over Spring Hill. The Panthers won both games by 6-1 scores.

Bullard starting pitchers Nick Rumbelow and Jacob Whatley will be rested and ready for the Pleasant Grove squad.

Bullard (19-7) has been through the battles and they know that Pleasant Grove is a very good team.

“I’ve got a scouting report. They are a sound team. They play well on defense. They are good hitters and we have to play a notch better than last week. Each week in the playoffs the teams get tougher,” Dent said.



Alto Yellowjackets

The state-ranked Alto Yellowjackets will play a best-of-three series against Pineland West Sabine at Central Pollok beginning Friday at 7 p.m. The second game will be played at 11 a.m. Saturday at the same location and third game, if needed, will be played 30 minutes after the conclusion of the second game.

Pineland West Sabine is 20-4 for the year. They’re rolling after a two-game sweep of Cayuga. Chase Malone is the team leader hitting .574 in district, he also is the team’s top pitcher with an earned run average of 0.98.

Alto is coming off a sweep of Lovelady in the area round of the playoffs.

The Jackets won the opening game 11-1 behind no-hit pitching by Tarlandus Mitchell. Freshman catcher Rhett Gresham belted a three-run homer to highlight the scoring. In the second game, Alto overcame five errors to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to take an 8-7 win over the Lions. Clinton Dover was the winning pitcher in relief.

This team seems to be similar in make-up to the last squad to visit Austin. Alto is blessed with speed, steady pitching and a balancing hitting attack.

Now Alto has to prepare for a Pineland West Sabine team which could be just as talented.

“They (Pineland West Sabine) are very good from the information I get. They run the bases well, they have good team speed. They don’t have one standout player or pitcher, but they have a well-balanced team with good players. We know they will be good or they could not have made it this far in the playoffs,” Dixon said.

“We feel like we are playing good ball right now. We out-hit Lovelady, we were glad to get two wins in a row and be able to advance,” Dixon said.

The coach also said that his pitching staff is well-rested due to the series going just two game and not three. Mitchell’s pitching was limited to five innings in the series opener. The game was called after five innings.



Alto Lady Jackets

The Alto Lady Jackets are a step closer to clinching the regional semi-final title.

The Lady Jackets squeezed out a 2-1 win over Detroit’s Lady Eagles in Tuesday action.

The second game will be played Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Mineola’s softball complex. The third game, if needed will be played 30 minutes after the conclusion of the second game.

Alto head softball coach Sharon Reid opted for a best-of-three series after defeating Mount Enterprise 8-1 in the area round.

In the first game with Detroit, Heaven Liles got the pitching win.

“We still have a tough game or two left with Detroit. We know they are a good team. That’s why we decided on a best-of-three series instead of just one game. We could have easily lost the first game 2-1,” Reid said. “I think a best-of-three series is the fair way to do it. If you can beat a team two times, then you deserve to advance in the playoffs.”

        

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