By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor

SAN MARCOS ­– Westlake made the entire wait worthwhile.

Bolstered by a flawless effort from its defense and a gritty effort from seldom-used pitcher Miles Hanson, the Chaps (23-12) rebounded from a lackadaisical effort in game one to win a best-of-three playoffs series against Smithson Valley (24-11) in a most dramatic fashion.

 

The Chaps capped a rain-delayed doubleheader afternoon at Bobcat Baseball Field Saturday with an extra-inning 4-3 win in a Class 5A Region IV quarterfinal contest. The win propelled Westlake into the regional semifinals for the fourth consecutive year, where the Chaps will face familiar foe Laredo United.

 

Last year, the Longhorns sent Westlake home with a 7-6 win.

 

“We’re back, and, hopefully, we can break through,” said Westlake coach Jim Darilek, whose teams have been eliminated in each of the past four regional semifinals. “I know one thing; this team doesn’t quit.”

 

Westlake refused to die Saturday despite difficult circumstances at the start of game three. After watching staff ace James Ferguson falter in a series-opening 7-0 loss Friday, Darilek leaned on the other regular starter, Holt McNair, in a 6-1 win in the second game.

 

That left little experience in Westlake’s dugout for game three. Darilek dialed up Hanson, a 6-foot-4-inch, 195-pound right-hander who had just a 4.20 ERA and a 0-2 record in 11 2/3 innings of work this season. In comparison, Smithson Valley started senior ace Brad Nasis, who boasted a 9-2 record entering Saturday and had a school-record 18 strikeouts in a playoff win over Bowie earlier this month.

 

But such stats couldn’t measure the fortitude shown by the Chaps and Hanson, who held the Rangers to nine hits and three runs before leaving the game after the seventh inning with the game tied 3-3.

 

“We were embarrassed [Friday] night, frankly,” Darilek said. “The kids said this has been a hard week. We were exhausted, and we didn’t play a dern last night. They were determined to play better, and they did. I give them so much credit, because they gave a gutty effort today.”

 

That effort showed most in the eighth inning. After Smithson Valley rallied from a 3-1 deficit with two runs in the seventh frame against a weary Hanson, the Chaps shook off their disappointment.

 

“It was the most intense mood I’ve ever felt before the eighth,” Hanson said. “Everyone was up in the dugout, everyone was talking. We were confident.”

 

Joseph Trahan led off the eighth inning with a single up the middle, and pinch runner Troup Evans advanced to second base on a ground out by Collin Shaw. Michael Perkins than hammered a chopper to shortstop Ryan Wood, who made a brilliant diving stab of the ball before sailing a late throw over the head of first baseman Derek Moczygemba for the Rangers’ fourth and final error of the game.

 

The error allowed Evans to sprint across home plate and leap jubilantly into the arms of teammate Will Harris.

The Rangers stayed within a run when they caught Perkins trying to steal home.

 

Kyle Gardner, another Chap hurler with little experience, relieved Hanson in the eighth frame and picked up the save. He gave up a one-out hit to Wood before retiring the final two batters of the game.

 

“Hanson was out of juice by the eighth, but he gave an outstanding effort,” Darilek said. “I can’t say how much I appreciate his effort today.”

 

Westlake had seven hits scattered across eight innings against Nasis but took advantage of Smithson Valley’s mistakes. The Chaps scored two unearned runs in the first inning on a single by Trahan in the second inning and added an earned run in the fifth frame when Adam Seitzman drove in Chris Knight.

 

Errors plagued the Rangers throughout the series. They committed 10 errors in the three games, compared to two errors by the Chaps. Westlake didn’t commit an error in either game Saturday.

 

Game two: Westlake 6, Smithson Valley 1

 

While baseball fans spent a pair of 30-minute rain delays sampling the cuisine at Bobcat Baseball Field, McNair did something slightly more productive.

 

“I went out to the parking lot and jogged around the bus a few times,” he said. “I had to stay loose; this was the toughest situation I’ve ever had to pitch in with the delays, but we got it done.”

 

McNair got it done as Westlake stayed alive in the playoffs with a 6-1 win over Smithson Valley in the second game of the three-game series. After allowing a run on one hit and two base-on-balls in the first inning, McNair shut out the Rangers the rest of the way while giving up just three more hits in the complete-game win. He picked up all six strikeouts after the first inning.

 

“My first inning is always my hardest,” McNair said. “I was leaving the ball up, and they were hitting it.”

 

Westlake didn’t need to hit it much to grab the lead. In a four-run fourth inning by the Chaps, Smithson Valley committed three errors, a wild pitch and a hit batter. Chandler Geller opened the scoring when he reached base on an error and scored on a wild pitch to even the score. Trahan then drove in Hanson while reaching on an error.

 

After pinch runner Davis Breedlove crossed home plate on another error, Harris garnered an RBI when Collin Shaw scored on a groundout.

 

The Chaps picked up their first earned runs on the series in the seventh inning. Perkins led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Knight, and Harris scored following his double and an RBI single by Stephen Koenig.

Colin Ramirez suffered the loss after allowing six hits without a walk in seven innings.

 

Game one: Smithson Valley 7, Westlake 0

 

Westlake didn’t pick up a hit until the sixth inning as Smithson Valley dominated the opening game of the series in a 7-0 win Friday.

 

Hanson broke up a not-hit bid by Moczygemba with a single into right field, and the Chaps added another hit in the seventh stanza.

 

Moczygemba helped his cause by going 2 for 3 with two RBIs, including an RBI single during a three-run fifth inning that boosted Smithson Valley to a 6-0 lead.

 

Ferguson suffered just his second loss of the season in 11 starts.