Holderfield’s Two-Out Double Sends Bears To State Finals

PALESTINE - Hollis Holderfield’s line-drive double with two out in the top of the seventh drove in Cash Hargis for the winning run as the Woodlawn Bears punched their ticket to the Class 2A State Championship game with a 3-2 win over the defending state champion Riverside Rebels in Saturday’s semifinal game at Palestine-Wheatley High School.The Bears are scheduled to play the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots at 10 a.m. Thursday at Majestic Park in Hot Springs to determine the 2026 state champion.Riverside has had Woodlawn’s number over the past year. Not only did the Rebels eliminate the Bears with a 5-0 win in last year’s state quarterfinals, they invoked on the 10-run rule on them earlier this year in an 13-1 romp at a tournament game in Batesville on March 20.In the two games combined, Riverside had outscored Woodlawn 18-1. But on Saturday, the Bears finally turned the tables. In the top of the first, Holderfield drew a one-out walk and eventually moved to third after tagging up on Logan Clark’s fly to right. Gavin Edmonds then shot a single past the shortstop to score Holderfield and give Woodalwn a 1-0 lead.Then in the top of the third, Holderfield scored from second after beating the throw home on Clark’s single, making it 2-0 Bears.That lead, however, evaporated in the bottom of the third.The Rebels’ Caden Cavazos led off with a hit, stole second and then moved to third on Zach McClure’s follow-up single. Tucker Emery’s sacrifice fly scored Cavazos before Riverside used a couple of two-out hits to push another run across to make it a 2-2 game.The Rebels then loaded the bases with a walk but Woodlawn starting pitcher Tyner Burris got a ground out to escape the inning.After such a shaky inning, it would have been easy for Bears Coach Tommy Richardson to pull him, but he decided to leave Burris in the game. “I wanted three or four (with Burris), and then go to (Logan) Cla...