By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
CORPUS CHRISTI — A fighting spirit carried the Los Fresnos Falcons to new heights this season, and it got them on the cusp of reaching the state tournament.
After an ill-timed weather delay Thursday, the Falcons got right back to business at 11 a.m. Friday at Cabaniss Field to close the Region IV-6A final against Smithson Valley. They fought back to tie the game at 2, but ultimately lost 3-2 to the Rangers. Smithson Valley moves on to represent Region IV at the Class 6A state tournament June 11-12 in Round Rock.
“It was a great run. These bunch of kids are great. Community was great supporting us. I’m happy for these kids, just fell one run short,” Falcons coach Rene Morales said. “These kids battled all their life and all through the game. We had a chance to win, and we just didn’t come through. That’s baseball and it’s part of life.
“It’s like I told them, ‘We’re not always going to be successful. It’s how you get up tomorrow,’” he added. “Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t. (Today) we didn’t get that clutch hit when we needed it.”
Junior right fielder/third baseman Matthew Padilla stepped into the batter’s box with the bases full of Falcons when the contest continued. He sent a sacrifice fly to left to score Los Fresnos’ first run. Senior second baseman Jose Cervantes’ hard grounder to third resulted in a throwing error — Smithson Valley’s third miscue of the inning — that allowed the tying run to score. Los Fresnos left the bases loaded when the frame ended.
Senior third baseman/pitcher Sidney Moore took the mound in the seventh in relief. Smithson Valley got the leadoff man on after a hit by pitch and advanced him to third with back-to-back sacrifices. Rangers right fielder Tim Arguello drove in the eventual winning run with a single to left-center before a flyout ended the inning.
Los Fresnos fought to the very end. In the bottom of the seventh, senior catcher Jacob Sandoval ripped a leadoff single up the middle, then Moore followed suit with a single to right. With Morales shouting, “You gotta believe right now,” from the coaches box, senior center fielder Germain Castillo singled on a hard grounder to short to load the bases with one out.
“I was, like, ‘OK, I might have another week.’ And when I saw that last out it hit me that it’s over,” Castillo said. “I’ve been playing with this senior group since we were, like, 10. It was amazing to come out our senior year and make it this far. … We showed the fight that we have in us to compete and come back down 2-0 and get those two runs in. Tried to fight in the last inning, but we didn’t finish. But we know we fought for it.”
Senior pitcher/right fielder Victor Loa sent a fly ball to left, but it was deemed too shallow to send the runner from third. The next grounder bounced right into Smithson Valley pitcher Brandon Taylor’s glove, and he tossed it to first to end the game and send his team to state. Taylor pitched a complete game with six hits, five strikeouts and no walks.
The loss ends the careers of seven Falcons seniors, including five who were mainstays in the lineup for several years. Sandoval was emotional after the game but felt grateful for the experience.
“Baseball has been my life. It’s always been fun for me. This group of guys had my back, and they’re a great group of guys. Every good thing comes to an end, and this is one of those good things that just had to come to an end. It’s going to hurt for a while, but we just have to let it go,” Sandoval said.
Morales thanked the senior group for the good it did for the program and shared a long embrace with his longtime ace, Loa, after the game.
“They set the tone for these younger kids. They leave a legacy behind that’s going to be tough to follow. We’re going to miss them, and I’m glad I got to coach them for four years,” Morales said. “I just told (Loa) thanks for letting me drive the bus that he was taking. Main thing I told him was, ‘I love you. Thank you for everything you did for this program and for putting us on the map.’”
Loa was proud of the fight his team showed and of the legacy he left behind. He hopes this run and his journey will serve as a blueprint for future Falcons athletes.
“It was my last season to wear maroon and gold, and have Falcons on my chest and family on my back. I had to give everything I had,” Loa said. “My arm had some innings where I wasn’t feeling as good, my back started getting hurt, my finger started giving up on me. But I told the guys I’m going to do whatever I can to get us here. It means the world to me to be here.
“I know there’s going to be someone just like me, hopefully even better than me, one day, and I hope whoever he is, or whoever she is, they’re going to do everything they can do to bring a championship to Los Fresnos. That’s all I wanted to do, but I was one step away.”