HARLINGEN — Brownsville Veterans Memorial senior Jason Villarreal smacked a single to center field to lead off the top of the sixth inning and then stole second, third and home for the game-winning run in an important 5-1 win over District 32-5A foe Harlingen South on Tuesday night.
Villarreal replaced starter Aldo Navarro on the mound in the sixth and did not allow a hit, striking out three during the final two innings. Navarro, a sophomore, picked up the win, giving up one run in the first inning and striking out five.
It was Navarro’s fifth win of the season. The pitcher said he was a little sore on the mound.
“I feel like I have to put myself on the line for our seniors,” Navarro said. “We have a great team, and I just want to be there to represent.”
Brownsville Veterans coach Adam Vera said he has Navarro work a lot, but the sophomore pitched five solid innings against the now third-place team in the district.
”Navarro did a heck of a job,” Vera said. “He threw a lot of strikes, competed and showed us what we needed to see from him tonight. Jason came in and closed it out. I told the guys right now, we squared up a lot of baseballs and that is all I ask for them to do. If you get a pitch you can handle, hit it hard somewhere and we will let the rest handle itself.”
Chargers first baseman Ricardo Rubio was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Jose Martinez drove in a run with a shot between second and first to go up 4-1 in the sixth. Designated hitter Oscar Rodriguez added insurance in the seventh with an RBI.
The win puts the Chargers in second place in the district, but Harlingen South could force a tiebreaker with a win Friday at Brownsville Veterans.
“It has been a great season, great team and great group of guys,” Villarreal said. “Harlingen South is a good team, we battled and I am thankful we came out on top. It has been a ride, and I hope we have a good playoff run.
The Chargers take on the Hawks at 7 p.m. Friday at Brownsville Veterans Memorial High School.