MANVEL - Errors can make a pretty good game look really bad. Especially if there are four of them.

Four errors did in the Bellaire baseball team in a 3-1 loss to Alvin in the first game of the Region III-5A semifinals Friday night at Manvel.

Two throwing errors in the fourth inning gave the Yellow Jackets all their runs. Throws to first base from shortstop and third base avoided first baseman Trace Knoblauch, resulting with three unearned runs. Compounding that was the Cardinals only got three hits off of Alvin pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Travis Jenkins and stranded five runners.

Now Bellaire (35-7) has to win both games Saturday afternoon if it wants to join District 20-5A rival Westside in the regional finals.

“We made more errors than hits, and that was the ballgame,” Bellaire coach Rocky Manuel said. “(We had) several plays we didn’t make, so the credit goes to Alvin. They capitalized on that.”

Bellaire starting pitcher Tyler Duffey did well in the game, only allowing five hits and two walks in his 4 1/3 innings. Reliever Matthew Anderson was perfect in 1 2/3 innings. But fielding miscues covered up the stellar job by the Cardinal pitchers.

With two out in the fourth and Yellowjacket first baseman Moe Giusto on first base, Duffey got designated hitter Andrew Gross to hit a slow ground ball to shortstop Alex Silver. But his throw forced Knoblauch off the bag and put runners on first and second. Alvin first baseman Michael Hoffman cashed in with a double off of the left field wall, scoring two runs.

“It’s high school baseball and if you put pressure on somebody, these things are going to happen,” Alvin coach Mike Rogers said. “We just keep trying to hit the ball and put pressure on them and see what happens.”

Then third baseman Josh Taylor hit a bouncer to Bellaire third baseman Kyle Chaskin, who sailed his throw to first over Knoblauch’s head, allowing Hoffman to score from second.

The three runs were enough for starter Eovaldi, who worked 4 1/3 innings, giving up three hits, one walk and five strikeouts. His only bad inning came in the second, where he gave up back-to-back doubles to Christopher Minifee and Will McCaleb that plated Bellaire’s only run.

“(Nathan) had a cold or the flu, so he didn’t have his strength tonight,” Rogers said. “He competed and battled well. I was hoping we could get five good innings out of him, I’d be happy.”

Alvin (33-4) is hoping for another gutty performance from its team tomorrow afternoon to make it to the regional semifinals.

“We got all the rabbits feet and four-leaf clovers in town,” Rogers said.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals need a better fielding and hitting performance in two straight games to keep their season going.

“I thought our pitching was good,” Manuel said. “We need to hit the ball better and play better defense to do a better job tomorrow.

“I told the Alvin coach, ‘You better bring your lunch tomorrow.’ ”

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