No. 3 Argyle strikes early to take series sweep over area foe Lake Dallas

Argyle starter Reid Ross threw six shutout innings as he allowed just two hits and one walk, then Baylor pledge Hudson Emeterio relieved him in the seventh and struck out all three batters he faced.

"The story of the two games this week is really, really good pitching," Argyle coach Ricky Griffin said. "I thought we swung the bats a bit better on Wednesday than we did tonight, but [Lake Dallas] had something to do with it, too. I'm really, really pleased with the pitching."

With the win, Argyle (12-3-2, 2-0) remains unbeaten in District 7-5A play during its first season at the 5A level. Lake Dallas (10-5, 0-2) will continue pursuing its first district win of the season next week during its series with Ryan.

Game summary

Argyle started strong as Ross set Lake Dallas down in order. The Eagles plated three runs in the bottom half of the first inning on an RBI single by Colton Roquemore, then a failed double-play attempt scored one more before Alex D'Angelo stole home.

Ross stayed on a roll from then on, facing the minimum in the first five innings as a fourth-inning single was quickly negated by a 6-4-3 double play. Argyle found more offense in the bottom of the fifth as D'Angelo drew a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball before Hunter Sandifer singled him in.

"We're a group, big family here," Roquemore said. "We stay connected; a lot of guys returned from last year. We're having fun playing ball."

Ross ran into his most trouble of the night in the top of the sixth with runners on first and second, but he forced a flyout to escape unscathed. The Eagles then scored once more in the bottom of the sixth inning as Roquemore singled in Grady Emerson, though the potential for more runs ended as they stranded the bases loaded.

Emeterio entered for the seventh inning and fanned all three hitters to seal the victory.

Standout players

Roquemore helped lead the way for Argyle at the plate, hitting 2 for 4 with a team-high two RBIs coming on a pair of singles.

"Just confidence. Confidence is key," said Roquemore of what fueled his success hitting. "I just go in there and think I'm going to win against a pitcher. That's helped me a lot recently."

Emerson went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored, while Davis posted a 2-for-3 outing as he reached once on an error along with two singles and a walk. Sandifer batted 2 for 3 with the Eagles' lone extra-base hit on a double alongside a walk.

For Lake Dallas, Logan Steele and Cash Conner came through with the team's only two hits, and Conner reached a second time on the lone walk. Starting pitcher Riggs Billingsley was solid, allowing four hits and two earned runs in three innings of work. Conner allowed five hits, four walks and one earned run in three innings of work.

What's next?

Coming off a pair of big district-opening wins, Argyle has some strong momentum rolling that it will hope to carry into its upcoming games. The Eagles were back in action Saturday against Addison Trinity Christian, then return to district play Tuesday versus Richland.

Griffin's main emphasis to his team is the need to show up mentally ready for every game they play.

"The biggest difference is every Tuesday-Friday, you have to play well to win," Griffin said. "You have to show up mentally every Tuesday and Friday. If you don't, then in this district — and it's a tough district — you get behind and it's going to be tough to catch up.

"You have to come to the ballpark every Tuesday-Friday ready to play. I've challenged them to do that, and they've done it twice. We'll see if that can continue."