Bees Waltz Past Pioneers into District Championship Round

NJCAA DIII SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT CENTRAL PAGE

MICHAEL MARTIN INTERVIEW

MESQUITE, Texas – Dallas College Eastfield is headed back to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South Central District championship round for the third straight year.

Although this time, the Harvester Bees are looking at it through a different lens.

Eastfield, ranked second in the NJCAA Division III poll, beat North Arkansas College, 9-1, in seven innings of Saturday's district semifinal round at The Hive to set up a rematch with sixth-ranked Dallas College Richland. The Thunderducks (39-18) shut out the Harvester Bees (46-12) earlier in the day, 7-0.

"We had to bounce back from that, and I felt like my guys came out, and Tyler Do took the mound, took the ball, and threw really well for us," Eastfield head coach Michael Martin said. "He kept his pitch count down, so we didn't have to use any more arms. We were able to score some runs early, and keep putting pressure on 'em, and pull away enough to finish that game off a little early."

Do (10-0) went the distance, allowing a run on one hit and two walks, while striking out four. It was his second complete game of the season.

Eastfield scored twice in the first inning on River Curs' RBI single to right and Payton Poole's RBI single to center. Poole doubled to center with two outs in the third to extend the lead to 3-0.

Poole went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a stolen base.

The Harvester Bees used a JJ Bush RBI single to right and John Jackson's two-run homer to left to make it 8-0 in the fifth.

Reed Ellison's sacrifice fly to right to score Logan Wake accounted for the Pioneers' lone run.

Michael Caputo's bases-loaded walk in the seventh gave the Bees the eight-run advantage to end the game. Saturday's championship round will not use a run-rule decision.

Jackson was 2-for-2 with a stolen base. His home run was his sixth of the year. Garret Hendricks went 2-for-4. Curs was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.

"We were able to get to 'em, and put some good at-bats together, and put some pressure on 'em and score some runs, so that was good to see," Martin said. "Hopefully we can carry that momentum into tomorrow."

Eastfield beat Richland in last year's one-game championship round last year. This year, the Bees will need two wins to win a third straight district title.

"I feel like we have one of the deeper pitching staffs in this conference," Martin said. "That's what we're going to have to rely on. It's going to come down to how we pitch it these next two games, for sure."

Sunday's championship round will air on TSBN.