Rangers qualify for state tournament
By Sam Waller
The Hubbard Creek Rangers, the combined Albany-Breckenridge Intermediate All-Star team, qualified for the Texas West State Little League Tournament by sweeping Southeast Arlington in the Texas West Section 2 series earlier this month.
The Rangers defeated Southeast Arlinton 19-3 on Saturday, July 2, and 20-2 on Sunday, July 3 at Garland’s Rocker B Ranch complex.
Albany players on the team are Graham Ceder, Clay Chapman, Colter Edgar, and Aiden Vickers.
The state tournament began Wednesday, July 13 at Wylie Little League Complex in Abilene. The Rangers played Medina Valley in the opening game of the four-team, double-elimination tourney. A second game against Lubbock Southwest or Laredo American will be played at either 5:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. Thursday, July 14 (tonight).
The championship round of the tournament is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Saturday, July 16.
The state tournament winner advances to the Southwest Regional tournament, scheduled for July 21-25 at Houston.
Against Southeast Arlington, the Rangers ended the first game by run rule after four innings, scoring 11 runs in the third. In the clincher, Hubbard Creek jumped out to a 9-0 lead and capped the game with nine runs in the sixth inning.
In Saturday’s game, Chapman went 1 for 2, hitting a three-run double in the third-inning outburst. He also reached on hit by pitch and scored two runs.
Ceder and Edgar were both 1 for 2 with a walk and scored two runs. Ceder had one RBI.
Vickers subbed in at shortstop for Chapman, but did not have a plate appearance.
In Sunday’s game, Chapman hit for the cycle and Vickers started on the mound, working two shutout innings.
Both went 4 for 5 with four RBIs.
Chapman, who scored four runs, had a two-run, inside-the-park home run in the first inning, an RBI double in the second, led off the sixth inning with a single and had an RBI triple his last time up. Chapman also pitched two innings in relief, allowing two runs on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts.
Vickers struck out five of the eight batters he faced. He gave up one hit and a walk. At the plate, he had run-scoring singles in the second, third, and fifth. He scored one run.
Ceder finished 2 for 4 with an RBI triple in the first and a double in the fifth. He scored once.
Edgar was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and scored twice.
