Carlisle Beats Weather + West Sabine to Sweep Class A Region III Baseball Semifinal Series

LUFKIN -- Shadow Sanders didn't let a one-hour rain delay affect him.

No. 1 Carlisle's left-handed starting pitcher surrendered a lone second-inning run before the aforementioned weather delay, then finished off West Sabine in the final six innings of the Indians' 2-1 eight-inning victory in Game 2 of a Class A Region IIII semifinal series at Morris Frank Park.

Sanders had nine strikeouts and four walks while yielding five hits, only three of which came after the second inning, when West Sabine's Desmond Lacey gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with a two-out RBI single.

Carlisle's Zach Brightwell scored the game-winning run in the top of the eighth when Caleb Colley flew out to right, resulting in Brightwell tagging to come home. An error on the play assured that Brightwell scored to give the Tribe (26-1) a 2-1 lead that Sanders held in the bottom half of the inning.

Carlisle plays Douglass -- a 2-1 regional semifinal series winner against Harleton -- at 7 p.m. Thursday in Nacogdoches in a one-game playoff for the Region III championship. The winner advances to the UIL Class A state baseball tournament in Round Rock.

Carlisle overcame two first-inning ejections that could have derailed the Indians.

No. 3 hitter Gunner Baker was called out on a third strike by the home umpire, who quickly tossed Baker after Baker made an apparent comment about the strike call. That prompted a lengthy argument with Carlisle first-base coach Rocky Baker -- Gunner's father and Carlisle athletic director -- who was also ejected.

Nevertheless, following Lacey's RBI single and the rain delay, Carlisle tied the game in the top of the third thanks to an RBI single from Sanders.

West Sabine's Aaron Woods struck out two, walked two, and allowed six hits in eight innings.