Port Neches-Groves snags series opener against Brenham

HUNTSVILLE – The Brenham Cubs are in another hole.

To stay alive in the Class 5A Region III playoffs, they'll have to dig out of it for the second straight week.

Hayden Guerra went 3-for-5 and Port Neches-Groves banged out nine hits in a 5-3 win Wednesday at Sam Houston State's Don Sanders Stadium in the opener of their Region III-5A championship series.

"We know we can do it," said pitcher Chandler Jozwiak, who took the loss. "We've just got to play our game.

"(Wednesday), we didn't play like we were supposed to. We didn't really hit the ball that much, we didn't make some plays we should have and I didn't throw my best, but we know we can come back and win it."

Game 2 is set for 6 p.m. Friday at Don Sanders, with Game 3 to follow, if necessary.

The Cubs (27-10-1) certainly hope it is.

"That's why you play two out of three," Brenham coach Lanny Williams said.

"We come back here on Friday and get after them, try to have some good at-bats, and really come in here competing."

The Indians (31-8-2) jumped out 3-0 in the third.

Hayden Guerra, the leadoff hitter, Logan Lejeune and Austin Bost strung together three straight one-out singles, with Bost's shot plating Guerra. Then Nathan Vidrine sent a two-run single up the middle.

"They got some timely hits," Williams said.

The Cubs, meanwhile, were hitless through three against PN-G starter Brandon Morse, who went the distance.

They came alive in a three-run fourth.

Jozwiak, Brenham's starter, led off the inning with a high fly to shallow right that landed between three defenders for a single, and he scored on Zach Marshall's double to the wall in left field.

Then the Indians intentionally walked Dane Acker, who hit three home runs in the regional semifinals, but Morse issued a four-pitch walk to Hunter Avila, loading the bases for Marshall Kohring.

The DH made him pay with a sacrifice fly to score Marshall.

The Cubs pulled even when Acker came home on an error by Vidrine, the shortstop, trying to get Davion Lockett at first.

But PN-G regained the lead for good in the sixth – Jozwiak's last inning.

The Cubs starter walked Josh Hranicky and Jacob Vaughan, then he surrendered a two-out, run-scoring single to Guerra, who singled in his last three plate appearances against the San Jacinto signee.

The next walked ended his evening after 5 2/3 innings and 109 pitches.

"I didn't feel bad," said Jozwiak, who allowed five runs on eight hits with five walks.

"I was throwing strikes in the strike zone, they were just getting some key hits, and I felt like they were ready for me."

Eric Wellmann came in to finish the frame, but not before issuing a bases-loaded walk, giving the Indians a 5-3 edge.

Rice signee Dane Acker is expected to start for the Cubs in Game 2.

"You put it in the senior's hands and say, 'Hey, get us to Game 3,'" Williams said. "And if they can beat Chandler and Dane, they deserve to go to Austin."

Jason McDaniel is a freelance writer.