PLAYOFF PREVIEW | Looking at tonight’s series involving ETBlitz-area teams Henderson, Tatum and Overton

Do you need a high school baseball fix?

If you do, there are three teams, three programs, from the ETBlitz.com coverage area that can help you get it, as the University Interscholastic League playoffs continue with three best-of-three-game series that all begin tonight.

Henderson takes on Pleasant Grove in a Class 4A, area (second) round series at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall. In the Class 3A playoffs, Tatum meets Liberty-Eylau, and that series begins tonight at Panola College, but it’s in three different sites, depending on how long the series lasts (see below). And Overton is going to face James Bowie (the school, not the guy) in round two of the 2A playoffs, and that’s in Bullard, although that series shifts, as well.

CLASS 4A, DIVISION I AREA ROUND – Henderson (18-12) vs. Pleasant Grove (28-4): As mentioned, game one of this one is tonight (Thursday) at 7 p.m. on the ETBU campus.

Game two is Friday night at 6’oclock, back at ETBU, and if a third game is needed, it’ll follow game two. The winner advances to the regional semifinals (round three) to meet either Alvarado (16-9) or Panther Creek (17-9-4).

Henderson and coach Brock Lemire are coming off a first-round series win over Mabank in which the Lions actually lost game one, at home, then bounced back and beat Mabank twice on the road.

The Lions overwhelmed Mabank in game two last week, 17-6, getting a pretty solid combination pitching performance from David Jimmerson and Caden Foster. Jimmerson went three innings with three strikeouts, and Foster came on and threw for three innings, as well, also striking out three.

Brian Biggs, known for his performances on the mound this season for Henderson, came through at the plate: a double, a single and 3 RBI, and Macen Jones also had a double, a single and 3 RBI. Kayne Brantley had three singles and 3 RBI, as well. Sebastian Vega had two singles and 3 RBI. Hunter Schwettman had two singles, and Foster, Nicolas Lynch and Maddox Hatchel all each had an RBI.

In game three, it was a close one, but Henderson got out with an 8-6 win. Brantley had a triple and 2 RBI. Jones had a triple, as well. Manning Bradley had a single and 2 RBI.

Also for the Lions, Biggs had two singles and an RBI; Hatchel had a double and an RBI; and Lynch had a double and a single. Vaga also added another RBI.

Pleasant Grove has 28 wins this season, and comes off a playoff series victory over Caddo Mills.

In the first game, Hunter Rose delivered a no-hitter in a 6-0 PG win. He threw the complete game, seven innings, giving up not a single hit and notching nine strikeouts.

At the plate, Rose had an RBI double, a single, and finished with 2 RBI in the win. Jace Elrod had three hits, one of them a double, and 3 RBI.

The Hawks also won game two, 3-1, completing the sweep, including a home run by Buck Anderson.

Pleasant Grove cooled off and ultimately eliminated a Caddo Mills team that had won six of its last seven regular season games.

CLASS 3A, DIVISION I AREA ROUND – Tatum (21-9) vs Liberty-Eylau (27-4).  Everybody’s gonna log some miles for this series, which opens tonight at Jim Reeves Memorial Field on the campus of Panola College in Carthage, a 7 p.m. first-pitch.

Game two will be Friday night at 7 at Pleasant Grove High School.

If game three is necessary, they’ll play it on Saturday at 2’oclock in Winnsboro.

Tatum is starting to heat up, and coach Dustin Russell is good at that: having his team hit their stride, play their best, when it matters the most.

There’s certainly no shame in losing a playoff warm-up to New Diana, a program that has been very good in the last decade, and Tatum bounced right back from that warm-up loss with a sweep of Mineola last weekend in the first round of the 3A-DI postseason.

Tatum shut out the Yellow Jackets, 4-0, in game one; lost game two, 4-2; then run-ruled Mineola, 10-0, in game three to close it out.

Tristin Berry walked one and gave up absolutely nothing else in a game-one no-hitter for the Eagles. He also struck out three. Cooper Whiteus had a triple, a double and a single for the Eagles in that game. Tucker Anthony and Dustin Henigan each had a double and an RBI, and Grant Adcock had an RBI.

The second game with Mineola went to the Yellow Jackets, 4-2. Kody Hines had a single and an RBI for Tatum, who also got two singles from Cayden Tatum. And on the mound, it was also Cayden Tatum, who had five strikeouts  in six innings.

And in game three, the Eagles just took the drama all the way out of it with the run-rule win.

Logan Cansler helped by not letting Mineola have any offense: he had 12 strikeouts and allowed just three hits over six innings.

Brody Downs had two home runs for the Eagles. Anthony, Colt Bullard and Cayden Tatum each had double, and Tatum also had a single. Bullard had 4 RBI, and Tatum had 3. Whiteus and Jaxen Prince also each had two singles, and Adcock had an RBI.

The Tatum-L-E winner will take on either Whitesboro (13-12) or Pottsboro (18-7-1) in the third round, or regional semifinals.

CLASS 2A, DIVISION II AREA ROUND – Overton (23-6) vs. James Bowie (20-16). Coach Christopher Cook’s Mustangs have been waiting a while.

Overton eat La Poynor last Thursday in a one-game playoff – that’s what La Poynor wanted, and won a flip to get it, but then lost the game – and now the Mustangs meet Bowie in round two.

Game one is tonight at Bullard, at 5:30 p.m. Game two is Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. in Atlanta, and game three, if necessary, will be 30 minutes after game two. The winner goes on to meet either Lovelady (19-10-1) or Gary (14-7) in the regional semifinals.

Bowie, the Pirates, have won five straight games, including two over Big Sandy in a sweep of the Wildcats last weekend. They had eight hits in beating Big Sandy, 15-0, in game one, then shut them out in game two, as well, 12-0. In Bowie’s game one win, Big Sandy was charged with six errors. And in the second game, Big Sandy didn’t have a hit.

Overton, now, comes in having won 10 straight games, and hasn’t lost since March 21.

Against LaPoynor, the Mustangs only had three hits, but made them count: Brody Brown had a double and 2 RBI; Bryson Bobbitt had a single and scored a run; and Landon Hill also had a single and scored.

Rylan Holleman had three stolen bases; Hill, one.

Bryce Still and Hill helped win the game on the mound for Overton. Still went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on just three hits, walking six and notching eight strikeouts. Hill came on for an inning, allowing no runs, hits or walks, and had a strikeout.