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Hitting key for Port Neches-Groves baseball
By Danny Shapiro Published 12:35 pm, Thursday, May 18, 2017
Port Neches-Groves third baseman Austin Bost fields a ground ball during baseball practice on Wednesday. Photo taken Wednesday 5/17/17 Ryan Pelham/The Enterprise Photo: Ryan Pelham / ©2017 The Beaumont Enterprise/Ryan Pelham
Despite just one loss in the past two months, the Port Neches-Groves baseball team will go into its regional quarterfinal series as the underdog.
That's because the No. 18 Indians are matched up with No. 5 Barbers Hill, which hasn't lost a game since March 4 and hasn't allowed a run in four postseason games.
The underdog role is one the Indians believe they will shake quickly against the Eagles if they hit well, something they failed to do against Manvel in the area round.
"I feel like everyone thinks we're going to lose to Barbers Hill," senior Nathan Vidrine said. "They've been a top team in the area all season but we've won a lot of games, too, for a reason and we're ready to show we can hang with them."
The Indians kept their season alive with a seventh-inning comeback against Manvel in the third game of their area round series last Saturday, but almost saw it end because they struggled at the plate.
PN-G scored 10 runs in three games against the Mavericks after scoring 14 in two games against Humble in the bidistrict round and 169 in 14 district games (12.1 runs per game), all wins.
"We were trying to do too much at the plate (against Manvel)," senior Logan LeJeune said. "We kept trying to get that big hit every at-bat when all we needed was to just hit the way we normally did."
Hitting well is the key against Barbers Hill, according to PN-G coach Scott Carter, because both teams have strong pitching staffs.
The Indians boast junior ace and Lamar pledge Josh Hranicky (8-1, 1.26 ERA) and Vidrine, who threw six scoreless innings against Manvel on Saturday after allowing three first-inning runs.
Barbers Hill has the 2017 MLB Draft's 56th-best prospect, according to Baseball America, in Bryce Bonnin and No. 2 starter Chris Stevens has two postseason shutouts.
"Our hitting left us for a weekend," Carter said. "We can't afford to have that happen again, especially against a team as good as Barbers Hill."
PN-G's advancement to the regional quarterfinal, however, is the furthest under fourth-year coach Carter.
The Indians lost in the area round each of the past two seasons and in the bidistrict round in his first season.
Carter believes his team, which has 12 seniors, can keep advancing if it doesn't become one-dimensional like it did against Manvel.
"I told our team it needs to play with confidence and step up the hitting," Carter said. "If we do that, I feel like we've got a good shot of advancing."
Source: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/hs/article/Hitting-key-for-Port-Neches-Groves-baseball-11156253.php
By Danny Shapiro Published 12:35 pm, Thursday, May 18, 2017
Port Neches-Groves third baseman Austin Bost fields a ground ball during baseball practice on Wednesday. Photo taken Wednesday 5/17/17 Ryan Pelham/The Enterprise Photo: Ryan Pelham / ©2017 The Beaumont Enterprise/Ryan Pelham
Despite just one loss in the past two months, the Port Neches-Groves baseball team will go into its regional quarterfinal series as the underdog.
That's because the No. 18 Indians are matched up with No. 5 Barbers Hill, which hasn't lost a game since March 4 and hasn't allowed a run in four postseason games.
The underdog role is one the Indians believe they will shake quickly against the Eagles if they hit well, something they failed to do against Manvel in the area round.
"I feel like everyone thinks we're going to lose to Barbers Hill," senior Nathan Vidrine said. "They've been a top team in the area all season but we've won a lot of games, too, for a reason and we're ready to show we can hang with them."
The Indians kept their season alive with a seventh-inning comeback against Manvel in the third game of their area round series last Saturday, but almost saw it end because they struggled at the plate.
PN-G scored 10 runs in three games against the Mavericks after scoring 14 in two games against Humble in the bidistrict round and 169 in 14 district games (12.1 runs per game), all wins.
"We were trying to do too much at the plate (against Manvel)," senior Logan LeJeune said. "We kept trying to get that big hit every at-bat when all we needed was to just hit the way we normally did."
Hitting well is the key against Barbers Hill, according to PN-G coach Scott Carter, because both teams have strong pitching staffs.
The Indians boast junior ace and Lamar pledge Josh Hranicky (8-1, 1.26 ERA) and Vidrine, who threw six scoreless innings against Manvel on Saturday after allowing three first-inning runs.
Barbers Hill has the 2017 MLB Draft's 56th-best prospect, according to Baseball America, in Bryce Bonnin and No. 2 starter Chris Stevens has two postseason shutouts.
"Our hitting left us for a weekend," Carter said. "We can't afford to have that happen again, especially against a team as good as Barbers Hill."
PN-G's advancement to the regional quarterfinal, however, is the furthest under fourth-year coach Carter.
The Indians lost in the area round each of the past two seasons and in the bidistrict round in his first season.
Carter believes his team, which has 12 seniors, can keep advancing if it doesn't become one-dimensional like it did against Manvel.
"I told our team it needs to play with confidence and step up the hitting," Carter said. "If we do that, I feel like we've got a good shot of advancing."
Source: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/hs/article/Hitting-key-for-Port-Neches-Groves-baseball-11156253.php
