BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — On a cold and blustery evening at PSJA High, Bears junior shortstop Ariben Gutierrez brought the heat needed to fire up the crowd and thaw out the chilly bats.
Gutierrez had a pair of three-run triples that allowed the Bears to bust the non-district tilt against the Weslaco High Panthers wide open. PSJA High went on to secure a 13-3 win in five innings.
In both at-bats, Gutierrez went to the plate with the bases loaded, which gave him an advantage against the pitcher.
“I got in good counts,” Gutierrez said. “They were both bases loaded, so he didn’t have much of a choice on what to throw. I sat on fastballs. My first at-bat, I sat on the curve, got a good shot up the middle, but they caught it. Next two at-bats, I didn’t see a possibility of him throwing a curve, so I stayed back and drove the fastball.”
In the bottom of the third inning, PSJA’s seventh, eighth and ninth hitters in the order each had a single to load the bases. Junior Juan Zambrano popped up to short, clearing the way for Gutierrez. In the fourth, the scenario was almost exactly the same. Junior Cheke Marroquin led off the inning with a single, but this time sophomore designated hitter Pablo Treviño and Zambrano each drew a walk. Zambrano’s forced in the Bears’ fifth run of the game and again set the stage for Gutierrez to rope a shot to the base of the wall.
“It always feels good to get the run support,” sophomore pitcher Justin Morales, who was on the mound Tuesday, said. “Just knowing I can go out there and pound strikes, I’m more relaxed up there on the mound.”
Bears coach Marco Guajardo has been waiting for an explosion like this from his lineup.
“I look at the lineup every time I write it out, and I think to myself, ‘This lineup is dangerous 1 through 9,’” Guajardo said. “I tell them, ‘You guys have no idea how dangerous we can be.’ We hadn’t exploded like this until tonight. They were excited. They are already getting tired of playing all these close games. I know the potential. We just have to get better from here on out.”
Morales started and went all five innings. He struck out eight batters, allowing two hits, four walks and three runs.
“He threw amazing, like he always does,” Gutierrez said. “He should have three wins, but we played tough competition. We got a tie and a one-run loss. Today, we made sure we got him this W.”
“I have a lot of confidence in Justin,” Guajardo said. “Every time he has come out, he has thrown the ball well. As a sophomore, he’s going to be a workhorse for us. He’s going to help Cheke by being that No. 2 guy. That’s what we are expecting out of him.”
Gutierrez has been waiting for Tuesday night for just less than a year. On May 6, the Bears met the Panthers in the bi-district round, and the Bears prevailed 7-3 in the single-elimination game. On that night, Tuesday’s starter, Jon Castillo, was again on the mound, and Gutierrez struggled against him. He struck out twice and popped out to round out an 0 for 3 game against Castillo.
“He got the best of me,” Gutierrez said. “I thought I should have hit better that game. Today, well, I came hungry.”
Gutierrez is one of the smoothest infielders in the Valley. His mechanics are crisp, and his instincts are sharp. This year, he has gotten to reconnect with his double play partner from his younger days, Juan Zambrano. Zambrano, a junior second baseman, and Gutierrez have an unspoken chemistry that has led to many double plays already this year.
“We’ve been close since sixth grade,” Gutierrez said. “This is our second year playing together. We played our freshman year, when he was shortstop and I was at second. Last year, we switched positions, and it has worked out really well. It’s been fun playing with him.”
“It’s the best, playing alongside a great player like him,” Zambrano added. “It’s great to have him at my side. We do great up the middle together. I’m really proud to have him as my shortstop.”
The Bears’ bats have been a tad slow to wake from hibernation this season. But the defense — spearheaded by Gutierrez and Zambrano — and the pitching of Morales and Bears ace Marroquin have steadied the ship. The Bears had a decent run in the Laredo Border Olympics, but their sluggish bats weren’t quite enough against tough out-of-Valley competition.
“We have been playing some really tough teams,” Guajardo said. “Our record is a little deceiving, but I tell the guys, ‘You guys know what you can do. Just go up there and have good quality at-bats, and good things are going to happen.’”
The Bears hope this win builds some momentum for their offense heading into the District 31-6A season, which begins Tuesday.
“The experience we got at those tournaments is going to help us a lot,” Morales said. “King and Carroll and the other teams we played, they are really good teams. It will help us in district.”