Cavaliers conquer Mules
Arizona-bound pitcher stifles Mule offense

By Mark Kusenberger
tsrnsports.com
Special to SAsports.com

Brad Dydalewicz threw a one-hit shutout and Cohl Walla belted two home runs as the Lake Travis Cavaliers ran away with a 10-0 victory in five innings against the Alamo Heights Mules Wednesday night at Cavalier Field in Austin.

Lake Travis (27-7) leads the best-of-three series one game to none.  Game Two will be played Friday night at the Muleyard at 7:30 p.m.   Game Three, if necessary, will be Saturday at the Muleyard at 3 p.m.

Dydalewicz, who missed most of the 2007 season after tearing his ACL during football season, continued his mastery.  Dydalewicz has not given up a run, unearned or unearned, since March.  In five innings, he gave up just one hit, walked 4 and struck out 11.  Dydalewicz struck out 7 of the last 9 Mules he faced, including the last 4.  Although the Mules tried to battle at the plate – Luke Campbell fouled off four 3-2 pitches before striking out in the 5th – they only put 3 balls in play in 19 plate appearances. 

Mike Warren led off the game grounding out to Dydalewicz, Luke Maloy grounded out to the shortstop Ryne Goertz to end the first, and Maloy singled to right field with one out in the fourth.  No other Mules hit a fair ball Wednesday night. 

Even when the Mules reached base, they had trouble with Dydalewicz’s pickoff move.  After walking Trent Jones with one out in the first, Dydalewicz had him picked off, but Jones slid under the tag at second to get a lucky steal.  Then Dydalewicz tightened it up; after plunking Danny Yancelson with one out in the second, Dydalewicz picked him off on a 1-3-6 caught stealing.  In the third, after walking Chris Bennert leading off the inning, Dydalewicz picked off Bennert’s courtesy runner Collin Newton. 

For a couple of innings, Preston Whitney, the winning pitcher in Game Three of Alamo Heights’ upset victory over Lake Travis last season, was matching Dydalewicz.  He retired 7 of the first 8 Cavaliers he faced.  Then he walked #9 hitter Andy Holt with one out in the third.  Holt stole second, then went to third on a balk.  Mason Keel walked and stole second, but Whitley appeared close to escape when he got Dylan Mendoza to pop up to short.  However, the next pitch was plastered by Cohl Walla for a three-run homer. 

Three walks, two balks, a wild pitch, two stolen bases, and an RBI-single by Andy Holt led to three more Cavaliers runs in the fourth – despite a failed suicide squeeze attempt.

Walla led off the bottom of the 5th with homer #2 of the game and #6 of the season, a shot that landed beyond the visiting bleachers at the football stadium beyond the left-center field fence.  Then, after power pitching by Dydalewicz and power hitting by Walla, Lake Travis clinched with subtlety. 

After Walla’s second homer made it 7-0 Cavaliers, Max Garner drew a 6-pitch walk.  Whitley was replaced by Will Nash, who hadn’t pitched since March 8th.  Nash walked Dydalewicz, then Bierman singled, putting the three runs needed to clinch a run-rule victory were on base. 

Ryan Goertz drew a 4-pitch walk, driving in Garner’s pinch runner Jack Hourin to make it 8-0 Cavaliers.  Matt Mayfield was hit by a pitch, driving in Dydalewicz’s courtesy runner Kevin Conroy to make it 9-0 Cavaliers.  Then, with the clinching run on first with nobody out, Holt hit a sacrifice fly to left field.  Trent Jones’ throw to the plate was cut off, and Bierman’s courtesy runner Hunter Mendel scored easily to end the ballgame. 

Lake Travis scored their 10 runs on just 5 hits. 

In last season’s series, the Cavaliers won Game One at Lake Travis 11-0 in six innings before Alamo Heights claimed 1-run victories in Games Two and Three.  So if history is any indication, the Mules (20-14) have Lake Travis right where they want them. 

Alamo Heights coach Stan Gideon could not be reached for his comment on this line of thinking.  But since Dydalewicz needed only 93 pitches to win Wednesday, it sure looks possible he could pitch Saturday….