Paxton baseball eliminated in Class A regional finals

Staff Report

Paxton has been among the best baseball teams in Class A the past few years.

But the Bobcats just cannot get past Jacksonville Eagle's View.

For the third straight year, Paxton was ousted in the postseason by the top-ranked Warriors on Friday in the regional finals. The Bobcats lost 13-3 in the first game of the best-of-three series, and then fell 18-0 in the second.

The matchup was a rematch of last year's regional final, which Eagle's View, the defending state champion, won at Paxton.

Paxton (11-11) was the last public school alive in regional play in Class A before bowing out to the perennial powerhouse of the classification.

"I can't be anything but proud of my team," Paxton coach Jeff Bradley said. "When you make it this far, you are one of eight teams playing. Regardless of whatever happened here, we are the best public school in Class A."

In the opener, Paxton led 3-2 going into the bottom of the fourth before Eagle's View exploded for six runs to pull ahead for good. The Bobcats got their runs in the second inning off four base hits. Colby Forehand and Michael Smith both singled, with Forehand then scoring on a double by Brandon Garrett. Tyler Garrett then brought home Smith and Brandon Garrett with a single to right.

After that outburst, however, Paxton's offense went cold.

In the second game, the Warriors jumped ahead early and never looked back.

Forehand and Rodney Fierrera had the only hits for the Bobcats in the second game.