STEPHENVILLE - Weatherford's Zack Britton was as good as advertised, and he gave the Central High School baseball team a rude welcome to the playoffs in its first trip in eight years.The Texas A&M University signee struck out 16 batters and drove in three runs to lead the Kangaroos to a 7-2 victory over the Bobcats on Friday in Game 1 of their best-of-three bidistrict series.
Central will need to win two games today, beginning at 1 p.m., to keep its season alive.
Weatherford's ace played a huge role in dropping the Bobcats into the one-game hole. He struck out the game's first four batters and the game's final seven batters, while also driving in what would stand as the winning run.
''I tell you what, he was by far one of the best we've seen this year,'' Central head coach Jerry Tischler said of Britton. ''He was definitely on today. And we still had some base runners on at times. We just couldn't get the key hit.''
Surprisingly, considering the score, the Bobcats out hit Weatherford 5-4, but couldn't capitalize on the couple of occasions they had Britton in trouble.
Conversely, the 'Roos took full advantage of their opportunities. Central made some uncharacteristic mistakes defensively, and Weatherford made the Bobcats pay with a pair of three-run frames in the third and fourth innings.
''I think everybody's still getting used to everything,'' said Central centerfielder Chase Vance, whose team was making its first postseason appearance since 1998. ''We out hit them, but they had a few key hits. And we made some mistakes that weren't like us.''
Vance knocked in both of Central's runs, including the first run of the game in the third inning. After Garrett Daniel hit a one-out double, Vance drove him home on a bouncing shot up the middle that Weatherford's second baseman misplayed.
The Bobcats' 1-0 lead was short lived. An error tied in the game in the bottom of the third, and two batters later, Britton ripped a two-run single that put Weatherford up for good.
Britton put the finishing touches on the game when he crushed a solo home run over the right field wall in the fifth inning for a 7-2 lead.
Despite his work on offense, the 6-foot-3 lefty, who can throw in the low 90s, was most impressive on the mound.
''I felt pretty good today,'' Britton said. ''I had the same stuff at the beginning of the game that I did at the end. In the middle, I lost it a little bit and gave up a couple of hits. But overall, my curveball was working great. More than half my pitches were curves.''
The Bobcats had their best chance to get back in the game in the fifth. Sterling Curry led off the inning with a single and was later scored on a single by Vance.
However, with Central trailing 6-2 and runners on second and third, Britton struck out Jason Cross to end the Bobcats' last threat.
Central's Brett Butler struck out eight and gave up four hits, but three of those hits drove in five runs after runners reached due to walks or defensive miscues.
The seven runs were the most the Bobcats had given up since a 7-3 loss to Midland Lee on April 4.
''Some of this was probably because it's the first time they've been here,'' Tischler said. ''Hopefully, they've got this out of their system and they'll come back tomorrow and play a lot better game.''
Central junior shortstop Scott Keane led the Bobcats' offense Friday, going 2-for-3 with a triple.
Central junior Kevin Justice, who pitched the playoff-clinching 5-3 win over Odessa High on Monday, is slated to start Game 2 today.
Weatherford 7, Central 2
Central 001 010 0 x96 2 5 2
Weatherford 003 310 x x96 7 4 1
Brett Butler and Robert Downey. Zack Britton and Garrett Campfield. 2B x96 Central: Garrett Daniel; Weatherford: Danny Gonzales. 3B x96 Central: Scott Keane. HR x96 Weatherford: Britton. Records x96 Central is 16-16, Weatherford is 20-10-1. Up next x96 Game 2 today at 1 p.m. in Stephenville; Game 3 (if necessary) 30 minutes after Game 2.
Central vs. Weatherford
What: Class 5A bidistrict playoff series.
When: Game 2 will be at 1 p.m. today. Game 3 (if necessary) will be 30 minutes after Game 2.
Series: Weatherford leads the three-game series 1-0.
Where: Tarleton State University's Cecil Ballow Complex in Stephenville.
Records: Central is 16-16; Weatherford is 20-10-1.