PNG 7 BAYTOWN STERLING 6

[MIF04]

Indians rally from 6-0 deficit to def. Sterling 7-6.

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Congrats Indians!

[play-ball!!]

YYYAayyyy bababbbyy

[BBallFan24]

Good Comeback from the Indians for the win.

[SETXBaseball1]

The Indians never gave up after falling back early.  Jeremy Dominguez started the game for the Indians.  From what I saw he pitched strikes, but it was just one of those nights.  The wind was blowing out hard, and Sterling hit 4 homeruns in the first two innings to jump out to a 6-0 lead.  Shawn Flores came in to pitch in the 3rd inning, and shut down Sterling for the rest of the night.  He had 9 or 10 K's and gave up 0 hits.  The bats started rolling for the Indians, and they had just enough to beat a very good team.

W - Flores

L - Cervanca

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Way to go PN-G

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Flores, Indians rally by Sterling

By Dave Rogers

The Port Arthur News

PORT NECHES – The Baytown Sterling Rangers were playing home run derby with the offerings of Port Neches-Groves pitcher Jeremy Dominguez early in Tuesday night’s home baseball opener for the Indians.

It was 6-0 after Sterling’s Sam Lindsey air-mailed his team’s third big fly of the third inning and fourth of the game off Dominguez. At that rate, PN-G’s 12-4 loss to the Rangers in last weekend’s La Porte tournament appeared almost merciful.

Then came Shawn.

Shawn Flores, one of PN-G’s top pitchers, came in from center field to relieve Dominguez. All he did was pitch five innings of no-hit ball, striking out eight.

And it was his two-run double that highlighted a five-run PN-G fourth inning that started the Indians back to ultimately win the game 7-6 on a bases-loaded beaning of Jerin Spikes by Sterling’s stud junior fireballer, Hunter Cervenka.

“Flores had an excellent performance on the mound,†PN-G coach Jay Stone said as his team improved to 2-2 on the season. “But I was just as impressed with his performance at the plate.

“He moved the ball around. And he moved it hard with Cervenka pitching 93 mph. I was impressed with the way he put the ball in play. And put it in play hard.â€

Freshman Kane Benoit started PN-G’s comeback with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth. Spikes contributed an RBI single before Flores’ two-RBI double. In the bottom of the fifth, PN-G shortstop walked, advanced to second on a walk to Jon Carnahan and to third on Brett Doty’s single, ultimately scoring the tying run on a throwing error.

Then Cervenka hit Spikes with a pitch, giving PN-G an improbable 7-6 lead despite the fact the Indians had only four hits in the game.

But the Rangers, co-champs of District 22-5A last year, were powerless to come back. The only hits they got in the game – five – came in the first two-plus innings off Dominguez. Flores allowed only one baserunner, on a walk.

Sterling second baseman Derek Brooks put his team on the scoreboard with a two-run homer in the top of the second inning. Cervenka led off the third with a solo blast and two batters later, center fielder Chase Dempsay blasted a two-run dinger to make it 5-0. Lindsey, batting next, went yard and it was 6-0.

“Jeremy got a couple of those pitches up,†Stone allowed. “But they’ve got a good-hitting ballclub.â€

It was the second straight loss for the Rangers, now 4-2, who lost the championship game of the La Porte tournament to Clear Lake 7-2 Saturday.

PN-G plays five games in this weekend’s West Brook tournament, including two Thursday – against Brazoswood at 2 p.m., and against Lake Charles Barbe at 5 p.m.