ALLEN -- Junior pitcher Patrick Mahomes saved his best for the biggest game of the season.

Mahomes struck out eight in a one-hit shutout, leading Whitehouse to a 6-0 win over Frisco Liberty in Game 1 of their Class 4A Region II championship series on Thursday night.

Whitehouse (30-8) can book its first trip to the state baseball tournament with a win in Game 2, scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday from Tyler's Mike Carter Field.

"Before the game, we made the comment: 'If we win Game 1, we have a chance to win tomorrow and clinch a spot in the state tournament basically at home in front about 2,000 or 3,000 people,'" said Whitehouse coach Derrick Jenkins.

Mahomes (9-1) needed only 75 pitches to get through seven innings and did not walk a batter for the first time since an April 12 start against Jacksonville. He had walked 25 in his previous four playoff starts.

"That's the best I've ever seen him pitch probably -- the control he had, he spotted up inside and out with his curve ball, slider and just did whatever he wanted," Jenkins said. "From start to finish, probably the best I've seen him throw."

Mahomes also delivered at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs. His RBI triple came in Whitehouse's five-run fifth inning.

"We left four guys on the first four innings," Jenkins said. "In the fifth, we finally squared some balls up. (Derek) Clemons had a double, Mahomes had a triple. As well as we hit the ball one through nine, a pitcher has a hard time getting outs once he goes through the lineup."

Aaron Clemons was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Ryan Cheatham also collected two hits for Whitehouse.

David Hawk (7-3) took the loss for Frisco Liberty, allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

In the midst of Whitehouse's big fifth inning, a disturbance between fans from both schools occurred that required separation.

"We knew somebody had to be held back, but we don't know who it was or how it started," Jenkins said of the incident. "Our kids are pretty focused right now."

Cheatham (12-0) will take the mound in Game 2 for Whitehouse.

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