Burnet baseball attempting to ground the Rockets

CAPTION: Burnet baseball head coach Russell Houston congratulates the Bulldogs on a great District 24-4A campaign and being district champions. Photo by Jacob Atkinson/Luedecke Photography

Bad weather forced officials with the Burnet and Waco Robinson baseball teams postpone game one of their best-of-three bi-district series to Friday, May 3.

Now the two will play in a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. at Bulldog Diamonds on the Burnet High School campus. Game two will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest and Burnet will be the visiting team. Game three, if necessary, is still to be determined.

Burnet head coach Russell Houston said his team isn’t just facing an opponent; it’s facing a tradition.

“Robinson is a very good program,” he said. “They’ve been in the playoffs forever. They’re going to be good. They’re a solid baseball team.”

What makes the Rockets so tough is their commitment to being error free.

“They’re going to be a solid team that makes very few mistakes,” Houston said.

Though the Rockets finished as the fourth place team out of its district, Houston pointed out it’s a very competitive district that includes Gatesville, which was a top 10 team for several weeks, and defending state champion China Spring, which is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A.

Robinson took China Spring to 10 innings in a 0-0 game before eventually losing.

“I think they’re pretty young this year,” Houston said of the Rockets. “I think they’re a solid team that comes in and plays well. If you come out of that district, you’re pretty good.”

Senior pitchers Kade Shaw and Dash Denton, the Tuesday and Friday starters, will be on the bump.

Houston noted not having a Tuesday game can only help.

“As long as we play the way we’re capable, we have a chance,” he said. “We don’t have to do anything special. It’s about how you play the game. If we play the way we can, we’ll have a chance to win.”

The Bulldogs enter this series with momentum thanks to beating Troy (26-4, 14-0 District 19-3A champion) 11-4 April 26. One big key to the outcome of this contest was Burnet’s ability to stay calm, even after facing a deficit.

“They jumped out on us,” the coach said. “They scored three in the first inning. As soon as that happened we scored three runs and tied it in the first.”

Denton led the offensive attack with 2 doubles, while Alex Cantrill hit a bases-loaded double.

“We had a good day at the plate,” Houston said.

He noted the Bulldogs’ experience helps them stay focused and in the moment, which can be frustrating for opponents.

“Our philosophy is to try to put as much pressure on the defense as possible,” the coach said. “Extend at-bats and finding something you can handle is important. The longer you can make a kid stay on the mound, the more tired he gets. You don’t want to take away their aggressiveness at the plate either. The more you can make them make plays, the more chances you have to be successful.”

Defenses must get 21 outs in a high school baseball game. If the pitcher strikes out 10 batters, his teammates simply need to make 11 outs to win the game. Most teams will take that. That’s why extending at-bats is a key part of the Bulldogs’ success, Houston said.

“It has to be in play and make them make plays,” he said. “You have you have other at-bats to capitalize.”

Pitcher Cason O’Hair threw five innings, while Cooper Faris threw the last two.

“I thought (my players) did a good job coming in after a busy night,” the coach said. “They stayed and watched the (Lady Dawg softball team eliminate Gatesville in the playoffs). You got to get your motor running. Troy is a good baseball team.”

Facing Troy gave the Bulldogs what Houston wanted.

“The whole process is to get ready for the playoff run,” he said. “You play Friday night, win or lose, you have to turn around and play again. Hopefully you can bring the same intensity and same mentality — go in and finish the job. We have to get them in the habit of doing that.”

As he thought back through the last several weeks, Houston noted it’s been filled with tremendous memories. And the Bulldogs will do everything they can to keep the season going.

“It has been a long year; it has been a good year,” he said. “I do feel like our kids have done a great job of handling the pressure. This is the fun part of the season. Win two out of three — that’s what you’re trying to do. I think anybody beating us two out of three is a tall order. That’s because of the consistency we’ve had all year. I’ll take our chances.”

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