The Wildcats had a similar start the first time they played the Colonels, but did not require a come-from-behind effort this go-round.
"The big difference for us was we stayed on 'em, continued to score runs, you know, did the little things at the plate," Woodland coach Corey Gochee said. "And then Jacob [Moore] on the mound ... he's good and he's always been. [He did] a great job for us in controlling their hitters early. ... They're a pretty good ball club and when we jumped on [Tyler] Gates like that, I think that's the difference."
Gates, Cass' starter, got off to a tough start right out the shoot, not registering a strike until his seventh pitch. He walked two of his first three batters and gave up a two-run double to Wildcats third baseman Robert Harris.
Woodland led 3-0 after one inning, adding a run on a fielder's choice hit by Luke Patterson.
Unlike in their 5-4 win last month, the Wildcats kept on hitting through the middle innings, scoring five runs in the third and fourth.
Moore hit an RBI double to the center field wall -- which crossed up the Colonels' outfielder, who took a step in before having to chase the ball -- and Harris pulled a two-run homer down the right-field line to put Woodland ahead 6-0 in the third.
"Robert, he's been special for us at the plate all year, him and Jacob," Gochee said. "It's our top guys' job to get on base, and those are our run producers. ... They've swung it [well] for us all year and when our top guys get on base, it makes it easy for 'em 'cause they can't pitch around Jacob or Robert. Tonight was about getting on base [and] we did that.
"That was our game plan, just try to put some pressure on 'em offensively and then once we get up a few runs, it's a lot easier to start hitting and running and putting pressure on guys. That's when we're successful."
Harris kept his terrific night going in the fourth when he hit an RBI single to the infield to score the Wildcats' eighth run. Cody Baxter, who also reached base on an infield single, crossed home plate earlier in the inning on a passed ball.
Cass picked up its first run of the game after loading the bases in the bottom of the fourth. Blake Kirk was hit by a pitch to score Gates, and a mishandled Cameron Ray grounder brought in Dalton Parham to trim the deficit to 8-2.
Woodland added its final run on a wild pitch in the sixth, and the host Colonels again gave themselves a shot in their bottom half of the inning by loading the bases. Cass managed to score Kirk on pinch-hitter Chad Taylor's sacrifice fly and also had Sam Ayers score on Dalton Weightman's RBI infield single.
However, the Colonels never quite broke through with a huge inning.
"We had the bases loaded three times, two times with nobody out, and got nothing out of it," said Cass coach Todd Eubanks, whose team had golden opportunities in the fourth and sixth. "We struck out way too many times. Jacob Moore did a phenomenal job throwing strikes tonight for them. ... The bottom line is we struck out too many times to have a chance to win.
"They were hungrier and they competed better and they won the ball game."
Moore dealt six innings for the win, striking out 11 Colonels and giving up two earned runs on six hits, three walks and three hit batsmen. Relief pitcher Landon Killian finished the game for the Wildcats, striking out the side and surrendering a hit and walk in the seventh.
Gates got the loss for Cass, going five innings with five earned runs, five hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Dylan Williams -- three innings, two earned runs, three hits, two walks, two hit batters, two strikeouts -- and Kirk -- one inning, one strikeout -- also pitched for the Colonels.
Woodland was led by hitters Baxter, 1 for 3 (walk); Camden McGill, 2 for 4; Moore, 1 for 1 (double, RBI, two walks, hit by pitch); Harris, 3 for 3 (double, home run, five RBIs, intentional walk); and Josh Day, 1 for 4.
Cass hitters included Ayers, 2 for 4; Weightman, 1 for 4 (RBI); Gates, 1 for 3 (hit by pitch); Connor Law, 1 for 3 (walk); Kirk, 1 for 3 (hit by pitch, RBI); and Taylor, 1 for 2 (RBI).
The Wildcats (12-8, 10-5 Region 7-AAAA), currently fourth in the region, have three remaining games this week against the region's top three teams.
"The rest of the games this week, the teams are above us," said Gochee, whose team hosts No. 2 Creekview (12-8, 10-4) today at 5:55 p.m., travels to face No. 3 Chattahoochee (11-7, 9-4) Friday at 5:55 p.m. and hosts No. 1 Lambert (14-6, 11-3) for Senior Night 2 p.m. Saturday.
"It's a tough week for us," he continued. "This week is gonna define our season, which way we go. It's gonna be big for us."
It's do-or-die time for most teams hoping to make the state playoffs, including the Colonels (11-9, 7-7), who sit in the No. 5 spot.
"We still got six region games left, but we definitely put our backs against the wall," Eubanks said. "We're fighting for our lives, and they're going on to play for a chance to win a region championship."
The Cass skipper hopes his team can rebound today against Chattahoochee, which it hosts at 5:55 p.m.
"I wanna see if they're gonna compete, how much pride they have in themselves and how much they wanna represent the Colonels [program] the way it should be represented," Eubanks added.
Cass closes out the week with road games Friday and Saturday against Johns Creek (9-12, 7-8) and Forsyth Central (10-12, 7-9). Friday's game starts at 5:55 p.m. while Saturday's matchup begins at 1 p.m.