Cleburne presents challenge
Ryan is facing Cleburne again in the area round of the playoffs. Last year the Raiders disposed of Cleburne in three games and the Yellow Jackets have plenty of ways to hurt opponents in 2008.
First of all, Cleburne has a wealth of left-handed pitchers, something that's even harder to find at the high school level than it is elsewhere. Shane Ingram is 10-2 on the year and will likely face Curtis Petersen in Game 1.
Catcher Colby Braddock is one of the best in the area and will challenge Ryan's small ball style of play by attack base runners that try to steal second. He's batting .417 in addition to his defensive abilities.
The good news for Ryan is that the Yellow Jackets make a lot of errors. They managed to sneak by Fort Worth South Hills last weekend despite committing five errors in Game 2. The Raiders have no trouble putting the ball in play. It could get ugly if Cleburne makes too many mistakes.
I'm predicting a Raider win, if I can go that far out on a limb there.