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Taylor puts away Lorena in sweep By Emily Grobe The Taylor Ducks piled on the hits Friday and Saturday, combining for 26 hits and three homeruns in two games while Lorena, which hit two homeruns, struggled to stay alive in the best of three bi-district series. After a 16-4 victory Friday and a 12-2 five-inning win Saturday, Taylor advanced to the area round of the Class 3A state playoffs. In game two, Taylor High School's Eric Brooks, who hasn't pitched in any of Taylor's last five games, was back on the mound. He threw a two-hitter in five innings, allowing only two runs and improved to 8-0. Jordan Stefek improved to 5-3 in game one Friday, allowing only four runs in four innings and striking out seven batters. Game two was never a scoreless game as Lorena opened up with two runs in the first on a 355-foot, two-RBI home run over the left center wall. With the wind behind them, the Ducks responded with one better. Taylor's Dalton Marek hit his own dinger — a two-run 360-footer — directly over the centerfield wall to tie it up in the bottom of the first. Chad David lined a fielder's choice to right, bringing in Jake Farr and the go-ahead run and the 3-2 Taylor lead. The Duck defense held Lorena hitless in the next two innings, putting the Leopards down in order in the third. Tyler Volek lined in two more runs in the third on a hit past first into right, scoring Farr and Samuel Jirasek for a 5-2 lead, before Taylor again shut down the Leopards in order in the top of the fourth. Second baseman Heath O'Banon caught an infield fly behind first base and stopped a bouncer to second, turning two outs to help end the inning. A seven-run fourth sealed the win for the Ducks, giving them a 10-run, 12-2 lead. Dillon Pfluger reached base with one out and a shortstop error allowed Brooks to reach. Marek hit a RBI single to left, scoring Pfluger. Farr, who was 3-3 with a double, two singles and an RBI on the night, batted in Ryan Gonzales. Hoping to turn a double play, Lorena intentionally walked Jirasek, loading the bases and setting up a force out at every base. David found the hole between first and second, though, and hit a single to right field, scoring Marek and keeping the bases loaded. Tyler Volek followed with a single through the same hole, scoring Farr. Eric Camacho hit a fly ball to short, but a throwing error allowed Jirasek and David to score and moved Volek into scoring position. O'Banon lined a bouncer to short and reached on another shortstop throwing error, scoring Volek for a 12-2 Taylor lead. Taylor set down Lorena in order in the top of the fifth for the win. Marek was 2-3 at the plate with a home run, a double and three RBIs. Volek was 2-3 with two singles and three RBIs. O'Banon hit two singles and batted in one. In game one, Lorena opened with a homer and an RBI single in the first for a 2-0 lead before the Ducks answered in the third. Taylor went through its lineup, sending 12 batters to the plate, and took an 8-2 lead. Lorena scored another in the bottom of the third, but Jirasek hit a three-RBI homerun in the fourth for an 11-3 Taylor lead. Lorena went for it all in their fourth, scoring a run on a single, but the second runner was gunned down at the plate as David threw to Marek at short, who turned and fired to Pfluger at home, saving the run. Brooks added his own two-run dinger over the left field wall in the fifth as Taylor took a 16-4 win. Jirasek led the Ducks' offensive threat Friday with three hits, two runs, a home run and five RBIs. Brooks had three runs, three hits, a homerun and three RBIs. Farr got three runs on two hits and had one RBI. Volek added two runs on two doubles and batted in two. The Ducks will take on Lufkin-Hudson, the district champion of District 20-3A, in a best-of-three series. Game one will be at Hudson in Lufkin Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Game two will be in Taylor Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. Game three will be 30 minutes after if necessary.
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