Buckaroos win Regional Quarterfinals, to take on Wall next
After winning Game 1 against the Holliday High School Eagles in the Regional Quarterfinals on Thursday, the Breckenridge Buckaroos varsity baseball team lost Game 2, and then went on to win Game 3 and the series, making them the Regional Quarterfinals champions. The Buckaroos will face the Wall High School Hawks later this week in Abilene for the Regional Semi-Finals.
The Breckenridge Buckaroos celebrate their win on Friday night against the Holliday Eagles. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)
The Breckenridge-Holliday series was played in Graham, with Game 1 taking place on Thursday, May 16. Breckenridge High School won that game 6-5 with most of the Buckaroos’ scores coming in the fifth inning.
Game 2 started at 5:30 Friday, May 17. Breckenridge managed to avoid a shutout by scoring one run in the seventh inning. The final score was 1-9 in favor of the Eagles. In that game, Holliday had 9 runs, 13 hits, 2 errors and 9 runners left on base. The Buckaroos had 1 run, 1 hit, 4 errors and 6 players left on base.
With the series tied at one win each, Game 3 started about 30 minutes after the end of Game 2. Holliday batted first and got on the scoreboard quickly. At the end of the first inning, the score was tied at 3-3. The Eagles wouldn’t score again until the fifth inning, but the Buckaroos went on to score 9 more points to win the game 12-5. That gives the Buckaroos a season record of 32-3.
Buckaroos pitcher D’Andrey Silva reacts after the final out in Game 3 on Friday. Silva pitched in the 7th inning, following Gerardo Palacios, who pitched for the first six innings. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)
After the game, Buckaroos coach Kevin Bartley said the Game 2 loss was a wake-up call for the team but that they stepped up to the challenge. “I told them just to forget about everything, come out and have fun. It’s a child’s game, let’s go out and be kids and enjoy playing the game,” he said. “And, that’s kind of what we’ve done all year. We tried not to over-think anything and just came out and played baseball.
“But, we couldn’t do it without the community’s support. They’re our energy, and they’re wonderful,” he continued.
Bartley said that as the Buckaroos prepare to face the Wall Hawks, one challenge is staying focused in a busy week that includes the BHS graduation.
“We’ve got to focus on the third game (against Holliday) and how it felt and forget about the first two. And use that to learn from,” he said. “We’re just going to have to focus on us and play our game and really work during practice to stay focused and not get distracted.”
The Regional Semi-Finals will see Breckenridge facing Wall at the Abilene Christian University baseball field. Wall has a season record of 33-0 and is coming off of a two-game win against Alpine.
Game 1 of the Regional Semi-Finals is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Friday, May 24. Game 2 is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25, and, if necessary, Game 3 will begin 30 minutes after the end of Game 2. The local radio station KLXK FM-93.5 will broadcast the games, beginning with a pre-game show before each game starts.
The winner of the Breckenridge-Wall match-up will play the winner of the Brock-Bushland series in the Regional Finals. Breckenridge has played Brock twice this year, losing the first game in March, 1-2, and winning the second game in April, 3-0.
The Breckenridge High School Buckaroos varsity baseball team posed with their Regional Quarterfinals trophy after winning the first and third games in a three-game series with the Holliday Eagles. They will play the Wall High School Hawks later this week in the Regional Semi-Finals. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Story by Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: The Buckaroos celebrate their victory over the Holliday Eagles in the baseball Regional Quarterfinals on Friday night, May 17, in Graham. The BHS team will advance to the Regional Semi-Finals and will play the Wall Hawks, starting on Friday, May 24. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
