By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
MERCEDES — The Brownsville Pace Vikings’ Chase Morales and Edward Guerrero drove in four runs and left-handed pitcher Jose Reyna threw a complete game to beat the Mercedes Tigers 12-3 and finish a District 32-5A sweep Thursday night.
“I felt good at the plate,” Morales said. “Just getting back from basketball season, so it is good to get back in rhythm, get back in the lineup and do what I can.”
Pace came out strong in the second inning after feeling out the Tigers’ pitcher in the first. Designated hitter Josh Nieto smacked a run-scoring single, Chase Morales and Jose Reyna both hit standup doubles to plate runs and Max Parga’s sacrifice fly gave the Vikings a 4-0 lead.
Morales’ infield single in third inning brought in another runner for a 5-0 lead. Morales went 4-for-5 on the night.
Vikings starting pitcher Jose Reyna had a solid outing on the mound. The pitcher struck out 10 Tigers batters and also fielded well. Mercedes batters often hit directly to the Pace defense for easy outs.
“I trust my defense behind me. I just want to thank my team for doing a good job tonight,” Reyna said.
Morales drove in two more runs when his hit down the middle was not handled by the Tigers infielder to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead. Guerrero knocked in two runs during both the sixth and seventh innings.
“We put the ball in play and put pressure on their defense,” Pace coach Roy Rodriguez said. “Right now our strength is going to be our offense followed by our pitching. We are preaching the small things and the kids are coming together, but it is a long way to go.”
The Tigers put a run on the board after some sharp hitting placed Israel Sanchez on third. A pickoff attempt by the Pace catcher went awry, allowing Sanchez to score. The Tigers tacked on two more runs during the bottom of the seventh.
“They are very capable, but it is all mental,” Tigers coach Carlos Pimentel said. “They got the skillset and the work ethic, but it is just mental. We got to get back to playing Mercedes Tigers baseball. It is a setback, but they will bounce back.”