Melissa Evens Class 3A Region II Baseball Championship Series with Pleasant Grove

[By Josh Richert, Special to ETSN.fm]

MOUNT PLEASANT—Melissa senior Landon Wilson reversed his fortunes from the Thursday's Class 3A Region II final series opener with a three-hit shutout of Pleasant Grove in Friday's Game 2 at Northeast Texas Community College's Eagle Field.

Wilson, who pitched the eighth inning in relief Thursday and suffered a loss for the Cardinals (30-9-1), tossed seven strong innings to tie the series with a 1-0 victory over the Hawks (26-13).

Game 3 is 2 p.m. Saturday at NTCC's Eagle Field. The winner advances to Wednesday's Class 3A state semifinals at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin. Pleasant Grove, the defending state champion, has won the last five Region II championships.

Wilson, 11-1 on the mound, struck out 11 and walked two, induced a double play and stranded just two Hawks on the bases.

Pleasant Grove's Trey Jeans suffered his second consecutive playoff loss to drop to 7-3. Jean worked 4 2/3 innings of three-hit ball, struck out four, walked one, and hit three. Dylan Silvey stranded the bases loaded that he inherited in the fifth inning and gave up two hits in 2 2/3 innings, fanning four and hitting one.

Zach Torres was hit by the first pitch of the fourth inning to start Melissa's rally. A balk sent Torres to second, and a groundout to second moved him to third. Chris Smith's sacrifice fly to center field and Torres beating the throw home accounted for the only run Wilson needed.

Camden Duzenack led the Cardinals' five-hit attack with a pair of singles. Silvey had two of Pleasant Grove's three hits.