EASTLAND – The District 7-A champion May Tigers swept the District 8 runner-up Baird Bears, 12-0 and 12-2, here Friday to move on to the second round of the playoffs.
In Friday’s opener, Luke McKenzie and Lane Goodson combined to toss a one-hit shutout over five innings with six strikeouts and two walks between them.
Offensively, the Tigers scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, two in the third, eight more in the third inning and their final run in the fourth.
May churned out nine hits, drew 10 walks and was aided by two Baird errors. Kaden Watkins, Cayson Dail, Braden Steele and Ben Harrell led May with two hits apiece while Hagan Hester added one. Watkins and Harrell also recorded a pair of RBIs and Steele contributed one.
In the second game, May led 2-1 after one inning, 3-1 after two, 6-1 through three, 11-2 after four, and added the 12th run in the top of the fifth inning to enforce the 10-run mercy rule.
Goodson went the distance in the circle and tossed a four-hitter, allowing two runs with 10 strikeouts and no walks. The May defense did not commit an error.
At the plate, May’s 11-hit attack featured two apiece from Watkins, Dail, Bryson Guerrero and J.D. White, along with one each from Goodson, McKenzie and Steele – who drove in a team-high two RBIs. Also plating runners were Guerrero, McKenzie, Watkins, Dail and Harrell with one RBI apiece.
May advances to face District 6 runner-up Westbrook – a 15-0 bi-district winner over District 5 champion Van Horn – in second round action next weekend.