Ard allowed a run on four hits. He struck out four and walked one in 6? innings. Creed Williams got the final two outs for the save, allowing a hit and striking out one.
Cooper starter Braiden Hill took the loss, giving up two runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked five. Ricky Delapaz allowed a run on one hit in 1½ innings of relief. He struck out one. Andrew Gomez got the final out.
The Cougars (14-18 overall, 6-5 district), who have already clinched a playoff berth, can do no better than third, while Aledo (18-5, 7-2) is tied with Wylie for first place. Wylie beat Wichita Falls Rider 12-1 in five innings Tuesday in Abilene.
Rider (10-17, 4-5) can still overtake Cooper, but has a game left with Wylie before finishing district with two games against Aledo. The Coogs own the tiebreaker over Rider, thanks to a 3-0 series sweep.
Aledo scored a run in both the first and second innings for an early 2-0 lead.
Garrison Berkley drew a two-out walk in the first. He took second on a balk and scored on Williams’ single.
Dylan Mach was hit by a pitch to force in a run with two outs in the second inning.
Nathan Finger led off the fifth with a triple and scored on Reinert’s sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead.
The Coogs rallied in their first at-bat. Aidan Thompson and Jacob Hummel hit consecutive one-out doubles – the latter chasing Thompson home. The hits also chased Aledo starter Ard from the game, and J.D. Creel greeted Williams with a single, putting the tying run on base. But Williams struck out Slade Simmons before getting Brody Stanford to ground out to end the game.
Cooper left four runners stranded – four in scoring position.
The victory gives Aledo the series’ victory over Cooper. The Bearcats beat Cooper 9-2 in the first meeting March 19 in Abilene. The Coogs wrap up district play against Aledo at 5 p.m. Thursday at Cougar Field.
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