No sweat: Dover pieces together pair of one-run victories

If the first two games were any indication, Dover’s road to qualify for the fall baseball state tournament for the first time in 15 years certainly won’t be an easy one.

The Longhorns began their quest Thursday with a pair of 4-3 victories in the opening day of a Class B district tournament they’re heavily favored to win.

The first was in walkoff fashion as Bryce Cockayne’s double in the bottom of the seventh inning plated two runs against Frontier.

The second came against Shidler in which the Longhorns held off the visitors late.

That put sixth-ranked Dover in the driver’s seat heading into Friday. The Longhorns needed just one win over Frontier (after press time of this edition) to advance to this week’s regional.

Dover thumped Frontier 12-3 in a run-rule on the Mustangs’ home field last month.

The Longhorns appeared headed that direction again on Thursday with two runs in the bottom of the first inning and two runners in scoring position with nobody out in the second.

However, Dover came up empty-handed in the second frame and that carried over into the third.

The Mustangs got two hits, two walks and took advantage of a pair of Dover errors to tie the game at 2-2.

A pep talk from coach Pete Voth after the half-inning didn’t do the trick…at least not immediately.

Dover’s hard luck continued at the plate and Frontier managed to take a 3-2 lead in the fifth with a pair of singles and another Dover error.

That final unearned run came off of Brennan Fletcher, who entered the game in the fifth in relief of Cockayne.

The starter gave up three hits in his four innings, struck out four and walked three. One of the two runs was earned.

Fletcher didn’t give up another run after his initial inning.

His three innings saw him give up two hits and strike out four without walking a batter.

Still, the Longhorns trailed entering the bottom of the seventh.

A.J. Avila was hit by a pitch to start the frame, then John Browning managed to reach on a dropped third strike.

Cockayne brought them home and ended the game with his two-bagger to center field.

It was Cockayne’s first hit of the game. Six different Longhorns had one hit apiece.

Trypp Lack’s single in the first inning scored the Longhorns’ initial two runs.

The drama didn’t stop in the second game.

This time Dover got out to a 4-0 lead against Shidler, starting with Fletcher’s tworun home run in the bottom of the second.

The Longhorns added their other two runs in the fourth despite not getting a hit.

Meanwhile Fletcher was cruising on the mound.

Shidler didn’t score until the fifth as Dover collected back-to-back errors.

The visitors got two more runs on a wild pitch in the sixth inning, pulling them within a run.

Lack entered and got Dover out of further damage, then struck out the side in the seventh to earn the save.

Lack didn’t give up a hit in his 1 1/3 innings.

Fletcher pitched 5 2/3 and surrendered three hits and two earned runs.

He struck out 12 batters. His homer was one of just two Dover hits in the game.

Dover played Frontier at 1 p.m. Friday (after press time). A win would give the Longhorns a district title.

A Frontier victory would have forced the if-necessary game at 3 p.m.