And for seven innings the Panthers and second-ranked Eagles treaded water at the Ballpark on Cypress Creek - deadlocked 3-3 at the end of regulation.
However, Rogers exploded for five runs in the top of the eighth inning to sink Blanco’s upset bid, capitalizing on a change of Panthers pitchers to claim an 8-3 victory in a rematch of a 2007 2A state semifinal, also won by Rogers.
The victory moves Rogers (22-2) into a Region IV quarterfinal with Hallettsville, which downed Comfort, 9-1. Eagles first-year coach Keith Klaus said it probably would be a best-of-three series. The sites and times were not available Tuesday night.
Area-round playoffs were mandated for one game by the UIL after competition was suspended for several days because of H1N1 Flu precautions.
Blanco starter Blake West walked Ryan Fares to open the eighth and Wyatt moved catcher Lance Gottardy to the mound. It was like turning on a friendly tuned pitching machine.
Cameron Doskocil greeted the new pitcher with a double to the wall that scored Fares. Greg Mendoza followed with a double that plated Doskocil. Chance Marek was intentionally walked and Dustin Hamilton sacrificed the two runners along before pinch hitter Dustin Meadows singled in two runs. Stephen Hines then doubled in the final run.
“We were due,” Klaus said. “Their starter did a good job of keeping us off balance. Sometimes when there’s a pitching change it’s good for you and other times it’s not. Tonight, it went in our favor. The kid they brought in threw a lot more fastballs.
“In the earlier innings, we had some base-running mistakes that hurt us.”
Junior right-hander Travis Perkins went the distance for Rogers, improving his record to 7-1. He allowed just three hits, walked three and struck out six.
Both teams’ pitchers and catchers had trouble keeping the ball out of the dirt as there were seven wild pitches.
Rogers took a 2-0 lead, scoring one run in both the second and third innings. Marek scored from third in the second on a play that started with a dropped third strike and throw to first for the putout. Perkins, who singled in the third, moved around the bases on a wild pitch, an infield grounder and another wild pitch.
Blanco tied the game and then took a 3-2 lead by scoring individual runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. A wild pitch in the third, an RBI single by Ethan Evans in the fourth and and a run-scoring since by Gottardy in the fifth accounted for the runs.
Mendoza scored the tying run in the sixth as he dropped a single in a gap in short right field. Marek banged a hanging breaking ball into the gap in left-center to plate Mendoza.
Except for a catcher’s interference to lead off the sixth, Perkins did not allow a base runner in the final 3 1/3 innings and retired the final nine Blanco hitters in order.
Mendoza led the Rogers’ attack with three hits, while Jordan Sebek and Marek had two each.
Blanco finished with two singles and a double by Evans.
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