BY NATHANIEL MATA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
PHARR — Game 2 was a much tighter contest than the opener, but Valley View was triumphant over Mercedes again. This time, Valley View won 2-1 on its home field, advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
Sixteen hours prior, Game 1 was decided before Mercedes even recorded three outs. Valley View was overpowering on the road, winning 12-0.
In Saturday’s morning start, the offense was less of the story. Pitching and defense took center stage as Rogelio Arratia from Valley View and Pedro Hernandez of Mercedes threw matching gems on the mound.
Valley View won in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning. Eduardo Ortiz reached base with a single, advanced to second after a pick-off attempt and then moved to third on a groundout. With the game on his bat, Chezzare Gonzalez smacked a fly ball over the head of the center fielder, who was playing shallow for the potential throw home.
“My dad had that reputation when he would play that at good times, he would come and hit,” Chezzare Gonzalez, son of Valley View’s head coach, said. “He told me, ‘Hey, maybe you can come out and be a Gonzalez like me.’ I felt a little pressure but told myself, ‘I want to be like him.’ I just came focused, had a good approach at home plate. The emotion was priceless.”
Arratia, who spread six hits over seven innings of one-run ball, said that he enjoys the pressure of close games.
“I like those tight games. They’re some of the best games. I just like to go out there and try to shut them down when they’re close,” Arratia said through an interpreter. “I have a very good defense. I’m confident that they’re going to do their job every time I’m on the bump.”
Both teams got on the scoreboard early. Mercedes started with a string of hits that prompted an early meeting at the mound. Joshua Rodriguez opened with a leadoff single, catcher Oliver Closer added a second hit and Jamie Rodriguez knocked home the leadoff man for first blood.
Valley View used a double by shortstop Ricardo Sanchez in the bottom half of the first to level the score at one.
The early offense didn’t last, as both of the starting pitchers locked in for five consecutive scoreless innings.
“That’s baseball,” Valley View coach Mario Gonzalez said. “Sometimes you win easy, 12-0. Sometimes you win the close ones. We’ve been there before. Today’s pitching for them, they threw a lot of strikes, and we hit a lot of balls hard but right at them. A little bit of bad base running, but in the end, we came through.”
Mercedes starter Hernandez was aided by a heads-up defense behind him. Mercedes turned two double plays from lineouts and kept runners stranded at second and third base on two occasions.
Valley View advanced runners to second and third for the second straight inning in the bottom of the fourth, but Chezzare Gonzalez flew out to center field, stranding the runners and keeping the game knotted at one run.
Valley View outhit Mercedes 12-6 on the game.
“It’s a game, it happens,” Chezzare Gonzalez said of the missed opportunities. “You’re always expecting to win, but sometimes things can go the other way around. Just stay focused and be ready to play. It’s seven innings, and the game doesn’t end until then.”
Valley View will face Corpus Christi Moody in the area round of the playoffs. Moody is District 30-5A champions and swept its bi-district series against Eagle Pass Winn.