In a year where so much has gone right for the Nederland baseball team, the Bulldogs weren’t trying to let Memorial spoil a bid for an unbeaten District 21-5A season.

Trailing 6-4 through four innings, though, the Bulldogs needed to make some things happen.

Brock Holton lined a two-run double with two outs in the top of the fifth inning to even the score and propel a late Nederland surge to an 11-6 win Thursday, a day before Good Friday. The second meeting of the week between the Bulldogs and Titans was moved to Nederland from Port Arthur due to bad field conditions.

Holton went 2 for 3 with five RBI. Landon Hiltz, Wade Butler and Kamden Grant each had two hits in the win.

Conner Kemp struck out 10 despite allowing six earned runs on six hits in six innings for Nederland (16-7-2, 10-0 in 21-5A). Jacob Mares settled down after allowing two runners on base in the Memorial seventh and struck out the next three.

Nederland (16-7-2, 10-0 in 21-5A) took advantage of the extra home field advantage and needs one win to clinch a second straight district championship. The Bulldogs will take on Barbers Hill — which had shared the lead with them — Tuesday in Mont Belvieu and next Friday at home.

Nederland loaded the bases in the sixth inning and broke the tie when Memorial starter Adler Kithler balked with two outs. In the seventh, an Omar Mascorro triple led to a Wade Butler double, Rene Cunningham drove in two runs on a double and Corbin Chandler hit a sacrifice fly for the final run.

The Bulldogs, playing the top of the scoreboard, led 4-0 through 2 1/2 innings, thanks to Holton’s first-inning RBI single and third-inning two-run sac fly, and Mascorro’s third-inning sac grounder.

Then came the Titans (5-12, 2-8).

Jaylen LaPoint led off the bottom of the third with a home run. The Titans then loaded the bases and added a run after a second consecutive walk with one out.

Johan Nakao got a four-run Memorial fourth going with an RBI fielder’s choice, followed by a Miguel Samudio one-run single and two-run Kithler triple. But that was the last of the Titans’ threat.

Adam Roccaforte also had one of the Bulldogs’ 11 hits. Kithler and LaPoint each had two hits, and Miguel Martinez and Josue Rodriguez each finished with one in the loss.

Kithler went the distance, walking four and striking out two in 113 pitches.

Memorial has lost eight in a row and will host Dayton on Tuesday.

 

BARBERS HILL 2, PNG 1

In Mont Belvieu, Camden Guarnere fanned 10 and held PNG to one hit in a much-needed complete game for the Eagles (18-6-2, 9-1 in 21-5A), who rebounded from their first district loss of the year in Port Neches.

Guarnere threw 42 pitches in the first four innings, striking out the side in the second.

Khristian Curtis struck out seven and allowed two earned runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings for PNG (14-12-1, 7-3), whose seven-game winning streak ended. Barbers Hill scored a run each off of him in the first and third innings.

Carson Roccaforte held BH to one hit in 1 2/3 innings.

Blake Bost scored PNG’s lone run in the fifth on Reece Mancera’s grounder. Bost had the lone hit off Guarnere.

Cameron Cauley went 3 for 3 to lead the Eagles.