The PSJA Bears took down Dripping Springs 6-4 on Thursday night to take a 1-0 series lead in the regional finals.

The Bears got things started early in the first inning, loading up the bases early against the Tigers star pitcher Cooper Rummel. TJ Ayala drove two runs in with an RBI single to give the Bears the lead and chase Rummel from the game with the series barely in its infancy.

“The big key was getting their starting pitcher out of the game early,” PSJA head coach Marco Guajardo said after the game. “That was the biggest key of the game right there.”

Dripping Springs came back to tie things up, thanks in part to an RBI double in the bottom of the first.

That score held until the top of the fourth inning, when PSJA’s Sebastian Plascencia hit a sharp grounder off the pitcher’s leg, allowing TJ Ayala to score and give the Bears the lead back. Later in the inning, Zeke Garza grounded one to the left side of the infield and the ball snuck through the third baseman and shortstop into left field for an RBI single. Jacob Delgadillo added a two-run ground rule double in the sixth inning to put the Bears up 6-2.

Dripping Springs added two runs late, but it wasn’t enough as the Bears took the win 6-4 in Game 1.

“We're not done. The job is not done,” Coach Guajardo said after the game. “We really gotta come out and play tomorrow. We know that lefty is gonna be tough tomorrow, so we gotta get to him too.”

PSJA will start Game 2 at Calallen High School at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.