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While waiting for the Alvord/Peaster playoff game to finish before taking the field Friday in Mineral Wells, a member of the Clyde High School baseball coaching staff explained to one of his players that Decatur was "lucky" to be in the playoffs. He went on to explain that Decatur had to win its last game of the year to "sneak" in.

Well, the Eagles made sure that the Clyde coaching staff and its baseball program was lucky enough to move on to spring football works. They put on an offensive showcase to rout the Bulldogs 15-0 and 12-5 to sweep a Class 3A best-of-three bi-district playoff series.

Decatur proved after the first inning of the series that it was all business. The group sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 11 times in its first at-bat.

That performance was a sign of things to come as the Eagles punished the Clyde pitchers and their defense for two days in Palo Pinto County. They made quick work in the opening game Friday night with a 15-0 route and earned the sweep of the District 7-3A co-champions with a 12-5 win on Saturday.

"We got to scout them and I felt like we could hit their pitchers," said DHS coach Chris Carter. "We have been hitting better and better every game, which is something you expect this late in the season. In our last five games we are averaging almost 10 hits a game, so we are coming around in that area."

The win extended Decatur's season record to 18-12 overall and into the area championship game this weekend against Vernon, a team that will be in the district with DHS the next two years. The best-of-three series will begin Thursday night in Windthorst, followed by game two Friday in Graham and a third game, if needed, Saturday in Wichita Falls. All games will start at 7:30 p.m.

The Eagles got the small crowd excited early in the series as the entire batting order almost hit twice in the first inning of the opening game. Three Clyde errors and seven base hits were enough to chase pitcher Chris Holland from the game with just two outs.

Chad Harrison hammered an RBI triple and Zach Gage ripped an RBI double to highlight the hitting showcase. Justin Unger, who was playing in just his third game of the season since returning from shoulder surgery, had two RBI singles in the inning which helped put DHS ahead 11-0.

Decatur added one run in the second inning and three more in the fourth inning to end the game early via the mercy rule. Justin Tompkins, Brennon Moore, Ryan Cangley and Harrison added hits to put the game away.

Colton Cangley hardly broke a sweat on the mound where he held Clyde to just four hits in picking up his fifth win of the year.

Decatur had a little bit more of a challenge on Saturday. The Bulldogs finally found home plate but not nearly often enough as DHS cruised to a 12-5 win and a sweep. They used four pitchers in the first game and used four more in the final contest, but none of them could contain the DHS bats.

The Eagles scored three times in the third inning to take the first lead. The Bulldogs, however, got to pitcher Justin Tompkins and scored once in the fourth and three times in the fifth to take a 4-3 edge.

CHS's Cameron Mize had an RBI double which helped lead the rally in the middle frames.

Moore made a spectacular stop at shortstop to prevent a run, while Jake Connally and Harrison made two other critical plays in the outfield to deny Clyde.

The locals scored five times in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead for good at 8-4.

Clyde managed its last run of the season in the sixth inning where the Eagles scored four more to build a 12-5 lead.

DHS pitcher Tyler Robbins took over in the sixth inning and slammed the door shut on the Bulldogs to pick up the save.

Both pitchers got solid defensive play from several teammates. Moore made a spectacular stop at shortstop to prevent a run, while Jake Connally and Harrison made two other critical plays in the outfield to deny Clyde.

Offensively, Decatur used the deep ball to chase the Bulldogs from the playoffs earlier than expected. Colton Cangley, Moore, Unger, Harrison and Tompkins littered the field with doubles to keep the bases busy most of the day. Six more Clyde errors in the final game also played a role in the lopsided score.