By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
LA JOYA — It’s been about a month since Mission Veterans’ Ruben Cavazos last played, but he hardly looked out of form Saturday night.
The Patriots senior went 1-for-1 at the plate with two stolen bases, two runs and plenty of exceptional defense at centerfield, leading the West team to a 12-3 victory in the RGV All-Star baseball game at the La Joya Sports Complex.
“It was a great game. Fun, well-played,” Cavazos said. “It’s an All-Star game, of course, you want to win the game. Everybody came out and tried the best that they could and had fun with it. We were fortunate enough to get the victory.”
Cavazos did his part to fuel a West offense that produced nine hits on the evening. He was one of three Mission Veterans players to take part in the showcase, tying for the highest member of athletes from one school Saturday.
“It’s a neat experience all the time because you see all the kids you play against throughout the year and you actually get to coach them,” said Mission Veterans coach Casey Smith, who led the West, along with Edinburg High coach Robert Valdez. “And for me, it’s special because I had a close bond with my seniors and I got three of them here. It’s the last time I got to coach them, and they’re great kids, so it was fun for me.”
The West never trailed Saturday, putting runs on the board early and holding the East hitless until the bottom of the fifth inning.
“You come out here and you just try to have fun. Our kids pitched pretty well for the most part and came out hitting the ball. Any time you get a lead early, it makes things more comfortable,” Smith said.
The West expanded their lead during the bottom of the fifth inning, when Mission Veterans’ David De Los Santos crushed a two-run double off the left-centerfield wall, giving his team a 6-0 cushion.
But during the bottom of the frame, the East came up with their first hit of the night, a two-run single off La Joya Palmview’s Ernesto Garza. Harlingen South’s Jacob Atkinson’s hit trimmed the East deficit 6-2, and then Brownsville Veterans’ Javier Pena fielder’s choice brought in another run for the East.
During the top of the sixth, a throwing error from the East catcher to first base flew to right field, paving the way for two West runs and a 9-3 lead.
The East finished with two hits on the night.
WEST 2, EAST 0: At La Joya, Sharyland High’s Roxanna Chapa blasted a solo home run during the first inning to lift her West softball team to victory.
Chapa went 1-for-4 at the plate, but her solo shot during the second inning was enough to give the West its seventh victory in 10 years.
“We worked really hard at practice and we did a lot of hitting, so I think that helped. We had a lot of repetitions,” Chapa said. “It was fun. It was crazy because you hear about people from everyone. ‘Oh, that girl’s really good.’ And then you get to play against them, it’s really fun.”
The West scored again during the sixth inning to stretch the lead. Roma pitcher Lori Ann Doria picked up the win.
“It looked like a pitcher’s duel,” said Sharyland High coach Paul Cruz, who led the West team. “Nobody really scored, nobody really did much. Everything was pretty solid. Just for that one hit that went out and that out hit that went past second base (during the second inning).
“It was just back and forth defense.”