By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS — Port Isabel got its bats going early and gave starting pitcher Chris Bode all he needed against Edinburg Economedes.
The Tarpons put five runs across the plate during the first inning and Bode went the distance for a 7-3 win over the Jaguars on Saturday in the title game of the Port Isabel/Los Fresnos baseball tournament.
“It shows that they can play,” Port Isabel coach Robert Holland said. “Hopefully it’s a small step for the next one. With that said, this is not our goal. We want to try to win district, make the playoffs and get past the first round. We’re capable, but we have to work. But it’s a good win.”
Bode threw a complete game, allowing three runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out five for Port Isabel.
“If we give (the pitchers) the ball, (we need them to) step up and (Bode) stepped up,” Holland said. “I told him last night, ‘You got the ball, win the championship.’ I told him to focus up, and he showed a lot of character.”
The Jaguars didn’t get going offensively as Bode kept them off-balanced.
“We just have to adjust to pitching,” Edinburg Economedes coach Rigo Sanchez said. “When we see some decent pitchers and they’re throwing off-speed, we have to adjust at the plate. We started shortening up toward the end, put the ball in play and made some things happen and put pressure on them, but it was too late.”
Edinburg Economedes finished as the runner-up for the second straight year. The Jaguars lost to Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway last season in the championship game.
The Tarpons made sure they gave some run support to Bode during the bottom of the first inning. Ben Ramon led off with a walk, and two batters later Javier Hernandez and Mark Martinez both hit singles to load the bases.
Trey Mock followed with a hit and an RBI, and Peter Garcia walked home another run. Martinez came home via a wild pitch, and Jaguars starting pitcher Pablo Juarez was done after 2/3 of an inning. Bryan Pena replaced Juarez and two other pitchers entered in relief to finish the game, but the damage was done.
Later in the inning, Mock and Garcia also crossed the plate due to miscues by Edinburg Economedes, and Port Isabel took a 5-0 lead.
The Tarpons struggled from the plate early in the tournament, but their bats came alive the past two games.
“The first few games we left too many people on base,” Holland said. “It was a mental block, so we told them to just go up there and have fun. We told them our pitchers are going to keep us in the games, but we have to score runs for them. If we score five or six, we can hang with people.”
The Jaguars got one run back during the second inning with a single by Ismael De Leon and nearly added a couple more, but Martinez robbed Gabriel Anaya of a deep double to left with a great catch to end the inning and Edinburg Economedes still trailed 5-1.
The Tarpons added a pair of insurance runs during the fourth inning as Martinez brought one run in with a solid single to right and later scored on a wild pitch for a 7-1 lead.
Edinburg Economedes scored a pair of runs during the seventh inning on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Anaya, but Bode ended the threat by getting Gerardo De Leon to ground into a game-ending fielder’s choice to seal the tournament title for the Tarpons.
Encouraged by another runner-up finish, the Jaguars are focused on winning in district play.
“The group of kids we have now are experienced, and they’re hungry to win,” Sanchez said. “They know they have to lock and load in district and get those wins. Every win is crucial. They’re going to do everything it takes to win.”
For Holland and Port Isabel, this is a boost to start the season.
“It gives us confidence. Hopefully it unites us as a team,” he said. “Everybody had a job to do. They showed they can play if they put their heads on straight. We have to keep working, but it’s a great win for them, I’m very proud of them and my coaches.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.