By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Two Metro-area teams remain in the baseball postseason and each hopes to right a wrong from last season.
Hanna and Los Fresnos both reached the area round last season, only to see their seasons abruptly ended. The Golden Eagles lost the opener Edinburg Vela, took Game 2 in an offensive rout and fell just short in Game 3 in a one-run loss. The Falcons were knocked out in two games by San Antonio Southwest, in which they were in control during both games until the late innings.
Both Hanna and Los Fresnos will try to advance at least one step further, but just like last year, it won’t be easy.
With its bi-district sweep of PSJA North, Hanna earned a battle against Laredo Alexander on a neutral field. Game 1 is at 7 p.m. Friday at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Game 2 is at noon or 1 p.m. Saturday at UTRGV, with Game 3, if necessary, to follow.
The Eagles rely on their pitching and defense, but when they’re able to get the bats going, like they did against PSJA North, it makes them tougher to knock out.
“We were able to stick to our plan and we pitched really well and played defense,” Hanna coach Jameson Wicks said. “Our offense was on fire, we hit the ball really, really well. It seemed like whoever comes up, no matter the situation, we came up pretty clutch.
“That was big for us.”
Hanna expects a tough series against Laredo Alexander. Wicks thinks that because the teams match up so well on the mound, offense might come at a premium.
“It’s probably not going to be a high scoring series,” he said. “If we get a big inning where we score two runs or they score two runs, that could be the difference in the ball game. We’re the stronger offensive team, but they pitch well … we need to take each pitch at a time. Head-to-head, I think it’s going to be a tight series.”
The Eagles know they need to start quickly to get ahead and put the pressure on the Bulldogs in Game 1 to try and get the advantage in the series.
“Our style of play relies on our pitching and defense, that’s what wins ball games,” Wicks said. “When we’re on fire offensively, it takes the pressure off our defense and our pitchers. If our offense gets going, we’re more confident at the plate and feel pretty unstoppable.”
LOS FRESNOS-MISSION HIGH
Los Fresnos topped Edinburg North in three games during bi-district, including the 11-2 road win last Saturday in Game 3 to advance.
The Falcons now face Mission High in an area round, best-of-three series that starts at 7 p.m. tonight in Mission. Game 2 is 7 p.m. Friday at home and Game 3, if necessary, is at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mission High.
Once again, Los Fresnos faces more road tests in this playoff round, but Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said that doesn’t matter.
“Our kids play well wherever we go,” he said. “That’s what’s good about playing in those (early season) tournaments, the kids get accustomed to not playing at home all the time … it makes a big difference.”
The Falcons face a team similar to themselves; both teams can hit the ball pretty well, play solid defense, but Los Fresnos might have the slight edge on the mound over the Eagles.
“It’s going to be a test for both teams,” Morales said. “The team that goes out there and does everything right is going to win like always, but I think it will be a pretty good series.”
The Falcons will rely on their experience as they prepare to try to take it one step further in their playoff journey.
“They understand what it takes and every year we’ve gotten better at this stage, the experience took over the past two years,” Morales said. “Hopefully we can get past this second round and get to the third round. The kids are confident. Hopefully that will help us out, but we still have to go out and play the games.”
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.