Whitehouse Brings Wylie To East Texas Following Series-Opening Win In Dallas

DALLAS -- Whitehouse handed Wylie just its third loss of the season and has the Metroplex team on the brink of elimination as the series turns to Mike Carter Field in Tyler for Game 2 at 7:30 p.m. today.

The Wildcats hung on for a 7-6 victory Thursday at Wright Field on Dallas Jesuit's campus following a dominant opening five innings and a spooky final two innings toward a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-three Class 5A Region II semifinal series.

"This team right here was 29-2 coming in," Whitehouse head coach Derrick Jenkins said. "We thought we'd go win today and see how they'd come back after losing a ballgame. Especially coming to our backyard. We had a lot of people here today. I expect Mike Carter Field to be packed."

Wildcats catcher Connor Clark catches Wylie's Peyton Graham (2) on a 6-4-2 fielder's choice in the fourth inning.

Eight of nine Whitehouse (22-10) batters reached base through the first five innings in the offensive affair. The sole batter that didn't get on base, shortstop Tanner Roach, made multiple highlight reel plays to hold Wylie (29-3-1) at a 6-1 deficit.

Only one half-inning of the entire game was perfect. It belonged to Wildcats starting pitcher Landry Mayo.

Things tightened in the bottom of the sixth.

Wylie's Peyton Graham, Cole Swilley, Lorenzo Keck, starting pitcher Levi Hon and Tyler Bridgewater all reached base safely with one out in the inning. Graham and Swiller scored to make it a 6-3 game and convinced Jenkins to turn to Patty Miner to get his club out of the jam.

Mayo moved to left field.

Facing the top of the order, Miner immediately issued a five-pitch strikeout.

Two-hole hitter Kolby Hass, the eight batter of the inning, sustained the rally with an infield hit. That scored Keck to make it a 6-4 game.

Andrew Spencer followed Hass with a base hit into right-center field. Hon scored, but Bridgewater -- the tying run -- tripped while rounding third base and had to retreat.

Miner ended the threat by getting Nick Dayton, the 10th batter of the frame, to play into a groundout to Roach.

Whitehouse center fielder Connor Clark took a bases loaded hit-by-pitch in the top seventh to give the Wildcats a 7-5 advantage into the final half-inning.

Miner gave up a leadoff double to Graham and retired the next three batters to end the game. Graham scored on a one-out groundout before Mayo recorded the third out at the warning track.

"It kind of was a different ballgame," Jenkins said. "I thought we controlled it through five and a half innings. Then we struggled there at the end, but a win's a win at this point. It doesn't matter how you do it. You just have to get it done."

Landry Mayo, now in left field, comes down with Whitehouse's final out to secure a 1-0 series advantage against Wylie.

Wildcats players weren't available for comment after the game. The team quickly boarded the bus back to Whitehouse to get some distance on bad weather approaching the Dallas area.

A three-spot highlighted by Clark's 2-RBI shot over the second base bag in the top of the second inning gave Whitehouse a permanent lead. Clayton Pruitt knocked in the first run of the contest earlier in the frame with a bases loaded bunt for base hit, which erased a 1-0 lead Wylie built in the bottom of the first.

Miner and Ryan Walls strung toether back-to-back RBI hits in the fifth inning for a 5-1 lead.

Brandon Rossiter drew a bases loaded walk in the sixth inning for a 6-1 advantage ahead of Wylie's comeback effort.

Mayo allowed nine hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out four batters and allowed three walks toward the win.

Hon took the loss for Wylie. Whitehouse recorded 10 of 11 hits during Hon's 5 1/3 innings on the mound.

If Wylie takes Game 2 in Tyler, the two teams will break for the evening. Whitehouse's senior players will graduate at 10 a.m. Saturday and then will travel to Mesquite for Game 3 later in the day.

If Whitehouse wins today, the series is over and the Wildcats will advance to the Class 5A Region II championship round against either Lufkin or Mesquite Poteet.

Lufkin defeated Poteet, 6-0, elsewhere Thursday for a 1-0 series lead.

Whitehouse celebrates its 7-6 win against Wylie. The two clubs will play Game 2 today at 7:30 p.m. at Mike Carter Field in Tyler.