DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — The purpose of Hidalgo’s offense this postseason is simple.
Get on top of the game.
It was around this time last year Hidalgo fell to Sinton in three games in the regional finals. Now, in the Elite 8 for the second straight season, the Pirates have learned from the ouster.
“Our whole mentality has been to get on top,” junior infielder Mike Alvarez said. “That means being aggressive, scoring first and often, and making sure teams are chasing us. We learned last year in the Elite 8. Once they started scoring and getting ahead, we just kind of gave up. It got to us.
“Now we want to be the ones getting ahead, and so far we have.”
The Pirates (25-5-1) have fed off a dominant offense these playoffs, going 7-0 heading into Saturday’s Class 4A regional final against El Campo at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi. That offense has fed off the power of Alvarez and senior Adrian Ruiz.
Alvarez is hitting .500 in the playoffs with eight RBIs and two doubles. For the season, he is hitting .558 with 28 RBIs and nine doubles.
“Mike’s probably our most consistent hitter,” Hidalgo coach Karlos Carrasco said. “He sees the ball well. He makes real good contact. He’s a good fastball hitter; I haven’t seen a fastball ever blow by him. He’s disciplined, has good hands, good hips. He just has it all.”
But the real surprise was Ruiz. Ruiz struggled during the regular season, with only seven hits. He never got into a rhythm — an elbow injury suffered during a preseason tournament in Corpus Christi kept him out a month.
Even when he returned, it still took awhile for Ruiz to find his stroke.
“He struggled badly early,” Carrasco said. “He was batting under .200 … this was a guy that was my (designated hitter) last year. I knew it wasn’t him.”
But Ruiz has drastically turned the corner during the playoffs. After hitting .104 during the regular season, he is hitting .500 in the postseason, along with seven RBIs, four walks and two homers.
“I had to work at it,” Ruiz said. “I worked hard and I’m alright now. It’s been about practice, better focus, waiting for the right pitch. Before, I would swing at bad pitches. I was very hesitant. I’ve gotten away from that.”
Ruiz’s breakout game was Game 1 of the bi-district series against Orange Grove. He followed a two-run double with a hard shot that snapped off the outfield wall.
“I went up to him at practice the next week like, ‘Where was that at all this time?’ He said ‘I don’t know, Coach,’” Carrasco said. “That’s all he would say. But I guess that’s all he needed. He’s been unstoppable since.”
What Alvarez and Ruiz have done is anchor the bottom of Hidalgo’s lineup.
Alvarez hits fifth and Ruiz hits seventh. Ruiz focuses on taking outside pitches when getting his 500 cuts in the cages during practice, and Alvarez works on inside pitches.
“I don’t like striking out,” Alvarez said. “The reason I’m good is because of practice. I work hard and I take a lot of swings. I’ll do whatever I can for a base hit.
“Just put the ball in play and force teams to make mistakes.”
Alvarez and Ruiz each missed considerable time during the season. Aside from Ruiz’s hiatus, Alvarez took five district games to recover from a rotator cuff injury.
It’s no coincidence, then, that Hidalgo’s offense, averaging 9.1 runs during the playoffs, is taking off just as the duo is finally getting comfortable and healthy.
“When they come up in the lineup, at that point teams think they’re already finished with our best batters,” Carrasco said with a grin. “Their confidence is sky high because of their hitting.”
Carrasco talks often about teams peaking at the right time. That was the case for his Pirates each of the last two years, and it seems the case again this season.
The “hot bats,” as the players reference during practices, are the biggest difference between the Pirates of last year and this year.
“Hitting is contagious,” Ruiz said. “You see one guy get a hit, and the next guy wants to get one too. No one wants to be a rally killer.
“You just want to keep it going, and that just brings your confidence up.”