MISSION — The Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks and Rio Grande City Rattlers shared the diamond for 37 innings this season, twice in district play and three more times in the 5A regional quarterfinals. With the playoff series tied 1-1 and a berth to the fourth round on the line in Saturday’s Game 3 finale, Pioneer delivered a 5-4 win to punch its ticket to the Class 5A regional semifinals at Mission High School.
“No. 1, one of the things that Pioneer is not known for is being tough,” Diamondbacks coach Casey Smith said after the win. “They call us soft. They say a lot of things about us, but these guys have really bought into what we’re selling and they’ve learned how to grind and they’re doing things so well, as far as just competing. When I say tough, that’s what I’m talking about.”
Up 1-0, the Diamondbacks’ senior duo of Jacob Rosales and Johnny Lugo provided back-to-back solo home runs, giving Pioneer a 3-0 advantage during the top of the third inning.
Rosales and Lugo said they never forgot about getting beat by Rio Grande City as freshmen and sophomores in the early days of the Pioneer baseball program.
“The last inning, I told him (Johnny) we have to do it for us. For the team, too. But going through four years — the first two years losing to this team four times in a row — it’s payback,” Rosales said after going 3 for 3 with two runs, one RBI and one intentional walk.
Lugo was also the Pioneer starter for Game 3, a position he was in last weekend, pitching the Diamondbacks to a series clinching-win over Corpus Christi Veterans in the area round. On Saturday, Lugo pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts, and had a 2-for-4 day at the plate with two RBIs and one run, including the solo shot immediately after Rosales.
“I knew it was gone. It was a hanging curveball. I just crushed it,” he said. His work on the mound was business as usual. “It’s the same thing as always. I take it one pitch at a time and just did my job,” Lugo said.
The Diamondbacks extended their lead to 5-1 after RBIs from Juan Rivera and Pedro Tovias.
The Rattlers, however, had one last rally in them.
For the second straight game, Rio Grande City’s Manny Garza hit a three-run home run during the bottom of the seventh, closing the gap to 5-4. But the blast came with two gone and Lugo got the final batter to fly out to center, bringing an end to a historic season for Rio Grande City. Garza finished the day 3 for 4 with one run and all four RGC RBIs.
It was a grueling battle between both teams throughout, just like Smith thought it would be.
“They got a darn good team and they got a really good program. We got a lot of respect for the way they do things and the way they compete,” Smith said.
Sharyland Pioneer will face the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Class 5A No. 2-ranked team, Boerne-Champion (34-5), in the 5A Region IV Semifinals.
“Sweet 16, I love it,” Lugo said. “We’re excited and we can’t wait to compete against the second-ranked team. It’s just a number.”