ABILENE – In possession of a comfortable six-run advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Early Longhorns eventually witnessed the Ballinger Bearcats bring the potential winning run to the plate before emerging with a 9-7 victory Friday afternoon in Game 2 of a Region I-3A baseball area playoff series at Abilene Christian University. “I knew Ballinger with their back to the wall would come out fighting and I knew it wouldn’t be easy,” said Early head coach Todd Hatton. “Even when we built that 9-3 lead I didn’t feel comfortable. I knew they would fight and scratch and they did, and our kids matched them and we didn’t fold when it got a little tight there. I’m just extremely proud of them. It was great to get it done in two and not have to play tomorrow.”