Sharyland Pioneer prevails over Edinburg Vela in matchup of heavy-hitters
BY BRYAN RAMOS | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Christopher Wallace, more widely known as “The Notorious B.I.G.,” once said in a hip hop song, “If you don’t know, now you know.”
Well, after Sharyland Pioneer’s 6-2 win over Edinburg Vela in the ECISD All-American Classic’s Navy Championship game on Saturday, the Rio Grande Valley now knows.
The Diamondbacks and SaberCats slugged it out for six innings at Edinburg Economedes, exchanging blows early, but it was Sharyland Pioneer which would have its hand raised at the end of the fight.
Vela third baseman Ramsey Amador and shortstop Isaac Lopez notched early RBIs for the SaberCats in the bottom of the first to put them up 2-0 after one inning.
Sharyland Pioneer responded with a five-run second inning as leadoff man Jacob Rosales stepped up to bat into a bases-loaded situation and delivered a base hit to drive in Ray Hernandez and Trey Gonzalez.
“It’s just exciting to see that we’re down early and we don’t put our heads down,” Rosales said. “We just come out ready to fight and put balls in play. The intensity from pitch one, we came out swinging.”
Johnny Lugo got the start for the Diamondbacks, and the senior pitcher executed with precision after allowing two runs in the first inning. After the first, he went on to strike out eight batters and surrendered just one hit in a complete game to improve his record to 3-1 as a starter.
“I just had to relax, stay focused and do my job and get the outs,” Lugo said. “I got a good defense behind me and they got my back. I love them for that.”
A sacrifice fly by Angel Nunez during the top of the sixth scored pinch runner Alex Morales, who crossed the plate twice for the Diamondbacks.
The win over Vela was Sharyland Pioneer’s fifth in the ECISD All-American Classic as their overall record improves to 15-2.
“We feel like we can play with anybody. It just comes down to how hard are we going to play,” Sharyland Pioneer coach Casey Smith said. “When we play hard I think we’re a really good team. It’s just a matter of continually getting that effort and getting a little bit better week by week.”
SHARYLAND HIGH TAKES HOME ROYAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Sharyland High Rattlers left the ECISD All-American Classic Royal Championship with a 5-0 record, giving Sharyland ISD baseball two champions in the Edinburg tournament.
The Rattlers were dominant leading up to the final, beating La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (16-1), Edinburg North (12-3), La Joya (9-3) and Roma (14-2).
In the championship game, the Rattlers squared off against Laredo United South and pulled out an 8-5 victory to win their third straight tournament trophy.
Andy Lozano and Chase Gerlach each drove in two runners, while Gerlach also got it done on the mound with six innings pitched and three strikeouts en route to a win.
The Rattlers are 15-2 on the year.