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BELTON – The Elgin Wildcats season came to an end Saturday, May 13, when they lost game three of their three game series to the Lake Belton Broncos.
The Broncos won the first game of the series by a score of 7-1, but with their backs against the wall and facing elimination, the Wildcats pulled out a win in game two 5-4 to force game three. At home, Lake Belton would bounce back to win game three 5-1.
Defense was the theme of the game with both teams scratching and clawing to keep their season alive and advance to the next round. The Wildcats served up three quick outs to start the game against the Broncos.
The Broncos were able to record a single in the top of the first inning, but that was the most offense before the Wildcats closed out the inning. Lake Belton counter punched with a solid defensive outing of their own.
Facing three Elgin batters, the Broncos made quick work of it getting three outs to go back on offense to try to generate some momentum. After recording a single in the second inning, the Broncos were again shut down by the Wildcats’ defense.
The teams were in a defensive slugfest with the game having little to no offense in the early stages of the game. This would last until the fifth inning, where the Broncos broke through in a big way.
The Broncos were consistently hitting singles every time they were on offense, but could never string together consecutive hits. In the fifth inning, it was the total opposite from the Broncos as their bats heated up.
Five base hits and an error allowed the Broncos to go up 4-0 in the game, but the Broncos were not done there. With only two outs on the board, Lake Belton capped off their explosive offensive inning with a double to bring home a fifth run before the Wildcats ended the fifth inning.
The Wildcats went back on offense looking to get some momentum back to get themselves back into the game. The Broncos only faced three batters in the bottom of the fifth, but the Wildcats responded with more strong defense in the top of the sixth.
Justin Strong continued to be a big hitter for the Wildcats in the bottom of the sixth, as he smacked a ball deep into the outfield for a triple. This drove home a run to make the score 5-1, and gave the Wildcats a sense of optimism.
The Broncos defense would stay strong for the rest of the game, and after giving up a single in the bottom of the seventh, they locked down the field and ended the Wildcats season.
With the season over, the Wildcats look towards the future, and with the foundation set now they feel great heading into next season.
