By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
CORPUS CHRISTI — One more Monday. That has been Los Fresnos’ focus during this magical playoff run — getting to practice together for one more Monday.
The Falcons earned another Monday with a dominant 11-2 victory over Round Rock High in a Region IV-6A semifinal playoff game Friday at the Cabaniss Athletic Complex. Los Fresnos will be moving on to the regional final for the first time in program history to face either Smithson Valley or Eagle Pass.
“These kids keep believing in what we’re telling them to do. They’re buying into it. It’s just one of those happy moments. We get one more Monday,” Falcons coach Rene Morales said. “It’s an awesome feeling to get there. I don’t have enough words to say, but I’m just going to say it’s awesome. I love these kids to death, and we’re going to continue to do what we do.”
The Falcons knew they were the underdogs heading into their battle with the Dragons. Round Rock had a barn full of more than 10 pitchers with a decent number of innings to their names. Playoff opponents had only scored eight runs against the Dragons in six playoff games.
The Dragons sent five pitchers to the mound, but nothing stopped the Falcons. They knocked nine hits and were aided by three errors and seven walks as they picked up a signature win. Los Fresnos scored seven runs during the third inning to take control.
“We practiced all week long to have a big inning against these guys, because nobody had had a big inning against them. We put some hits together, and they made a couple errors behind that, too,” Morales said. “These kids are playing their hearts out, and that’s all we can ask for. Early in the season, all these guys stepped up because we had a lot of kids hurt and a lot of different situations. They’re coming through again. They have that experience and they have that confidence and they believe in each other.”
Senior center fielder Germain Castillo drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, then senior ace Victor Loa drove in a run with a single. Two walks and an error at second on what could have been a routine double play scored a run and loaded the bases. That is, until junior left fielder Hector Muniz stepped into the box.
Muniz ripped a bases-clearing, three-run triple to right, sending the dugout and the large Los Fresnos crowd into a frenzy. Senior catcher Jacob Sandoval started the rally with a double to right and hit an RBI single to left in his second at-bat of the frame to make it 7-0 in favor of the Falcons. He finished the night with a team- and game-high three hits.
“We have amazing coaches that helped us get prepared for this pitching staff. We knew they were going to be a hard pitching staff. But they got us ready for what they had,” Sandoval said. “(This win) means a lot because we’re a doubted team. We had so many problems at the beginning of the season, and now we’re getting into a groove. We’re barely getting started. We’re not done yet.”
Los Fresnos tacked on another run in the fourth as Loa recorded another RBI with a single to score Castillo after his triple to left-center.
Loa got the start for the Falcons and pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs with seven strikeouts and five walks. Round Rock left fielder Tyler Betts drove in the runs with a two-out, two-run single to right-center.
Even though Loa struggled a bit and was frustrated with an inconsistent strike zone, he was pleased to see the defense play a clean game to back him up and third baseman Sidney Moore finish the game strong. Moore, a senior, moved from third to the mound in relief with two runners on. He promptly ended the threat with a strikeout, then pitched a three-up, three-down seventh inning to secure the victory.
“We’re going to Elite Eight. First time in program history. It’s surreal, being in this situation and doing what we did tonight. Just kept our foot on the pedal and drove ourselves to a win,” Loa said. “That’s the type of team we are. When we compete and back each other up, we’re a scary team. It showed today. Bats were hot, defense was there. I struggled a little bit, but they managed to pick me up.
“Sidney’s been my brother the past few years, coming in together,” he added. “I knew he was going to back me up, and once he got that quick out in the sixth to get us out of it there was a sigh of relief. It took all the weight off my shoulders because I knew he was going to do his job, and he did tonight.”
Los Fresnos’ defense was solid and made several highlight-reel catches in the outfield. Junior right fielder Matthew Padilla made two phenomenal grabs. During the third inning, he went head-over-heels on a deep shot to the warning track to record the out. He raced forward on a shallow, line-hugging pop fly to scoop up a shot in the fifth.
Padilla got the Falcons faithful on their feet again in the sixth, but this time with his bat. He ripped a three-run home run over the left-center wall to get back the runs Round Rock scored in the top of the frame. Padilla wore an ear-to-ear smile on his face as he returned to the dugout, knowing his team was about to put the rest of the state on notice.
“He threw me a fastball and it looked good, so I hit it good and thank God it went out,” Padilla said. “I’m so happy for this team. We deserve it. This feels amazing. These coaches go through hell to put a game plan together, and it pays off. We’ve worked for this, and it just feels great to be here. A lot of people underestimate the Valley and they say we don’t have a lot of talent, but we do. We have a lot of fight.”