By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

From his first season to his senior campaign, Lopez’s Alex Olguin has blossomed into a complete player.

Olguin developed into a pinpoint control pitcher on the mound, a defensively skilled shortstop and a dangerous hitter at the plate.

He received many accolades along the way, including the District 32-5A MVP this season. Now he adds another honor to his tremendous senior season by being named The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Baseball Most Valuable Player.

“I just want to thank God, He guided me through the year and helped me play this game I’ve loved to play since I was a little kid,” Olguin said. “I’ve never gone for awards, but I wanted to get the MVP. I gave everything I had this season and it paid off in the end.”

Olguin was impressive on the field as he was at the plate, especially during the 14 games of district play. The senior right-hander was 6-1 with a 0.29 ERA with 56 strikeouts and a 0.930 fielding percentage in the middle of the infield. He predominantly hit leadoff and finished with a .525 average with two home runs, 27 runs scored, 21 RBIs and 23 stolen bases as the Lobos finished second in District 32-5A and earned a postseason berth, the school’s first since 2013.

Olguin had many fond memories of his final high school season, but none greater than reaching the postseason after coming up just short during the previous three years.

“Finally making it to the playoffs,” he said. “This year was special. We have amazing coaches, amazing teammates … a lot of young guys came up and helped us, the five seniors. I will remember going to the playoffs.”

Despite a short postseason trip, it was a great way for Olguin to finish his career.

“It’s been an honor for me to see Alex grow as a player and as a person,” Lopez coach Victor Martinez said. “He has a great heart and wants to lead by example. Those tools keep sharpening every year. He makes such phenomenal plays, he keeps amazing us.”

From the start, his potential was easy to see during his freshman season and he finished as the All-Metro Newcomer of the Year. Now Olguin caps it off with a pair of MVP honors before he continues his baseball career at Texas Southern University and its NCAA Division I program that have now won back-to-back conference championships.

“He’s a five-tool player, he can do it all,” Martinez said. “I think that’s what makes him special.”

Olguin credited his parents, his girlfriend and his grandparents for their support to help him throughout his time at Lopez, especially during his sophomore year when his grandfather passed away.

“These past two years I’ve played without him and I know he’s watching from up there,” Olguin said. “I’ve always dedicated my games to him. Every time I go to bat I point to the sky because I know he’s watching.”

Martinez will miss Olguin next season, but knows the impact that the standout has left on the Lobos program.

“He helped us reach the postseason and we won a playoff game,” the Lopez coach said. “We have to keep building from that. Our goals are higher because of him.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

The Brownsville Herald’s 2018 All-Metro Baseball Team

MVP: Alex Olguin, Lopez

Offensive Player of the Year: George Villafranca, Los Fresnos

Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Gomez, Rivera

Pitcher of the Year: Noe Guerrero, Hanna

Newcomer of the Year: Rafael Capistran, Brownsville Veterans Memorial

Coach of the Year: Victor Martinez, Lopez

First Team

Pitcher: Victor Montemayor, Los Fresnos

Pitcher: Jose Martinez, Port Isabel

Catcher: Aaron Recio, Brownsville Veterans Memorial

First base: Cristian Gonzalez, Hanna

Second base: Josiah Garza, Port Isabel

Third base: Cristian Holloway, Brownsville Veterans Memorial

Shortstop: Justin Anaya, Brownsville Veterans Memorial

Outfield: Jay Medina, Hanna

Outfield: Joseph Munoz, Los Fresnos

Outfield: JJ Sanchez, Los Fresnos

DH/Utility: Jesus De Leon, Lopez

Second team

Pitcher: Cristian Hernandez, Los Fresnos

Pitcher: Danny Alvear, Rivera

Catcher: Marco Sanchez, Hanna

First base: Hugo Sanchez, Los Fresnos

Second base: Jonathan Castro, Hanna

Third base: Diego Gonzalez, Rivera

Shortstop: Arturo Trevino, St. Joseph Academy

Outfield: Christian Rodriguez, Pace

Outfield: Jeremy Martinez, Port Isabel

Outfield: Angel Gomez, Pace

DH/Utility: Cristo Sauceda, Porter

By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

Hanna’s Noe Guerrero used his right arm to help carry the load for the Golden Eagles on the mound again this season.

Guerrero helped Hanna win 19 games with a 6-3 mark in 12 appearances and a 1.40 ERA in 70 innings with 84 strikeouts and just 14 walks as opponents hit just .204 against him.

The senior led his squad back to the area round of the playoffs after helping the Eagles earn a share of the District 32-6A title.

Guerrero earned the distinction as the top pitcher in the district for the second straight season and repeats as The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Baseball Pitcher of the Year.

“It feels great to get it two years in a row and all that hard work I put in has paid off,” he said. “God helped me and my family and my team, my coaches.”

The senior hurler tried to replicate the things he did last season and it worked just fine.

“Whatever I did last year I wanted to do this year because it worked, I didn’t want to change anything,” Guerrero said. “If I did change something, it was the amount of weight when I worked out or the distance on long toss, the velocity training, that’s what changed.”

It was fun to watch for coach Jameson Wicks in his first year at the helm at Hanna.

“I know on paper the teams we played were better (this season),” he said. “There was a lot more parity in the district, so the competition was greater and in the tournaments, too. I’ve seen a lot of players like Noe … I have 13 years of coaching experience and I’ve seen a lot of kids like him and he’s not even close to his ceiling.”

Guerrero also made an impact playing in the outfield as well as the plate, something he hadn’t done much in the past three years because he was primarily a pitcher. The senior had a perfect fielding percentage and hit .347 with 26 hits, including three doubles, three triples, scored 18 runs and drove in 14 runs.

Guerrero has already committed to Texas Southern University and its NCAA Division I program and will continue his baseball career this fall at the next level.

With his future set before the season started, he quickly realized he was ready to compete at a higher level and it carried throughout his senior season.

“Playing good teams in tournaments and in the beginning of the year, it helped me build my confidence that I can compete against these teams and how good they’ll be in college,” Guerrero said. “If I doing good here maybe I can do good in college, too.”

Wicks tried to make sure that his team was just as tough mentally.

“He’s young and very gifted and the biggest thing I tried to implement with him and the boys was going into each game one pitch at a time and changing their mental aspect,” the Hanna coach said. “Because they’re talented enough, sometimes they may not have had the confidence they felt like they needed and they saw that day in and out.”

Guerrero saw the difference with a new coach during his final season, but also reflected on how hard he worked to get there.

“We had a good bond, especially chemistry wise than the past three years and I give props to coach for that,” he said. “It felt good every day, every practice, every game was fun, we were working hard. The past four years, I’ve been working my tail off, after and before practice to get here (to this point).”

Wicks is now anxiously waiting to see what his talented hurler can do at the next level.

“He knows he’s going to be better,” he said of Guerrero experiencing baseball at the collegiate level. “I can’t wait to see how much he flourishes. He’s had a lot of success and some shortcomings (this season) but he’ll learn from all of it.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

With a potent offense, Los Fresnos finished atop District 32-6A and advanced to the regional quarterfinals this season.

The Falcons scored nearly six runs per game and used that production to win 27 games, including an 11-3 mark in district play.

Leading the way for Los Fresnos was senior outfielder George Villafranca, a four-year starter who came through in the clutch often, at times defensively, but especially at the plate. That included a dramatic two-run home run with two strikes and two outs in the seventh inning that proved to be the difference in a 5-4 win in Game 1 of a regional quarterfinal series against Edinburg Vela. The Falcons would ultimately come up short in Game 3 and lose the series 2-1, but Villafranca showed when the pressure was on, he found a way to shine.

For his productive senior season, Villafranca has been named The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Baseball Offensive Player of the Year.

“ It feels great. I’d like to thank God, without Him I couldn’t do anything,” Villafranca said. “I thank my coaches … it’s been a lot of work to get to this point. I’ve done a lot of things, but I’m humbled by things (like this). Getting this honor means the world to me.”

Among Villafranca’s 28 hits in 99 at-bats, he had nine doubles, a triple, and three home runs, 36 RBIs and scored 20 runs and drew 13 walks on the season and once again earned first-team, all-district honors.

What he and his talented senior class left behind was a legacy that won 86 games, a pair of district titles and had three playoff berths in four seasons.

“ (Villafranca) plays with a lot of confidence out there,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “He’s one of those kids that wants to be on the field. He’s a quiet leader and does the little things right for us. The senior class was great and he was one of the reasons why.

“ This season was because of the seniors leading the way and the underclassmen following their lead.”

With the bar continuingly being raised for the Falcons program, Villafranca hopes his younger teammates can continue what they’ve accomplished during the last four years.

“ It’s a winning legacy,” he said. “I hope they take from us that we’re always hungry and always wanted to win. Every single practice we were striving to get better to win every single game.”

Morales agreed. He too hopes the young Los Fresnos players will strive to reach for new heights.

“ They set the tone for next year,” he said of the senior class. “They challenged the younger class to see if they can go even further. Every year the senior class sets the tone for the next senior class. The kids coming back are hungry and they want to get to the fourth round … they want to get the program even bigger and better.

“ It’s always hard to replace the seniors when you lose them, but the young kids are going to have to step up and be the leaders next year. I’m going to miss them. I love these seniors to death.”

But Villafranca and the rest of the seniors took away just as much from their coach.

“ He’s taught me a lot about life,” Villafranca said. “To take everything in a positive matter. He’s a passionate coach and if you don’t do something with passion, you shouldn’t be doing it at all.

“ I take that from him and I thank him for everything he’s done.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

Defense is so important to the success to any baseball team.

Rivera thrived this season in part to its defensive prowess, especially with junior shortstop Michael Gomez flanking the middle of the infield.

Gomez and the Raiders turned it around this year winning 10 games in District 32-6A and initially earned a postseason berth, but due to a district executive committee meeting that found Rivera had used at least one ineligible player, caused it to forfeit some of its district wins and its playoff spot.

But it’s hard to ignore how much of an impact Gomez had on his team. The junior earned district honors as the top defensive player and now adds another accolade as The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Baseball Defensive Player of the Year.

“ It’s amazing, a dream come true,” he said. “I told my friends and my coaches I was going to get (this award this season).

“ Luckily, with hard work and dedication, it came true.”

Gomez was the model of consistency on defense, he earned a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, had 36 put outs/assists and helped turn six double plays during 14 district games.

“ Mike was the anchor of our defense,” Rivera coach Travis Parker said. “He was a coach on the field. His baseball IQ is second to none, so to have a guy like that, it’s just awesome. A guy you can depend on, before you even tell him where to shift or what to do, he’s already on top of things.

“ The position gets a lot of opportunities to make an error throughout the year, but he was solid.”

Gomez also did his job at the plate in District 32-6A, hitting .371 with 13 hits, including three doubles, drew nine walks, two hit by pitches, 10 stolen bases and five RBIs while striking out just four times in 35 at-bats.

The Raiders found themselves in several one-run games throughout the season and it emphasized just how important defense was the fraction of a difference between a win and a loss.

“ We couldn’t ask anything more from our shortstop,” Parker said. “He did exactly what we needed and beyond. It was at times the difference; he made an impact on the game. There were a couple crucial situations in district. No moment was too big for him; he was poised. The kid has self confidence in himself and his abilities, some found it as cocky or arrogant … when you’re between the lines on the baseball field, you have to have that a little bit.”

The junior shortstop put in the work along the way with long toss, several reps and even work at home with the help from his sister. Gomez didn’t become as skilled defensively overnight; he worked hard on his craft, particularly from a mental standpoint.

“ My mentality has helped me the most … baseball is 90 percent mental so that played a huge role,” he said. “If you go out there confident thinking I’m going to get every ball, there’s a higher chance of you not making mistakes.”

While the goals remain the same to return to the playoffs next year for Rivera, Parker is already looking forward to next season.

“ I’m excited to have him for one more year,” he said. “I think he’s going to be a successful collegiate ball player. With him and the group coming back, we hope for (plenty of) success.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

With plenty of inexperience coming into the season, Brownsville Veterans Memorial didn’t let it prevent it from reaching its goals.

The Chargers had six players new to varsity this year and one of their freshman, Rafael Capistran, stood out among the rest and helped his team go unbeaten in District 32-5A and clinch a title.

Capistran adjusted quickly to the new level in the outfield and on the mound and for his efforts he has earned The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Baseball Newcomer of the Year.

“ It feels amazing,” he said. “It makes me think I can do some great things later on.”

The freshman hit .407 in 14 district games with 11 RBIs and scored 15 runs and a stolen base. On the mound, he went 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA and struck out 28.

Capistran became a starter in the outfield early on and made an impact on the mound, too. And around midseason, the freshman became the team’s leadoff hitter.

“ I think Rafael helped us a lot in the outfield, he solidified it in center field,” Brownsville Veterans coach Albert Rodriguez said. “From the get-go you can tell when someone has a lot of potential, has talent by their demeanor, the way they carry themselves with their peers and coaches. He’s a quiet guy, but he gets the job done.”

It took Capistran some time early in the season to adjust to aspects of the varsity level, but once he did, he flourished both at the plate and on the mound or in the outfield. That early confidence not only eased his mind, but it became evident that the team shared the same sentiment.

“ I knew we were going to do great things, but I thought we were going to make it (further) in the playoffs,” he said. “But it motivates me because I thought we were going further. I know next year we are going to.”

Rodriguez saw his potential early in the season.

“ His character is of a perfectionist and he helped out big time,” the Chargers coach said. “He was a catalyst in our pitching rotation … he was hard to strike out, he would get on base whether it was a hit or a walk and that’s what you want. It shows the caliber of player he is and what he can contribute to the team. He’s a winner, there’s no negativity coming from him whether he’s doing great or doing bad. He’s always picking guys up, a competitor at heart and is a great teammate to have.”

With a shorter than expected playoff appearance this year and with Capistran and others returning with a year under their belt, Rodriguez believes that the skies the limit for his squad.

“ We’re going to have high expectations,” he said. “One key thing we didn’t have at the beginning of the year was experience. So with most of the guys being underclassmen … I think these guys are going to come out hungry and come out fighting. They know they can win at this level.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

It was a moment five years in the making for the Lopez baseball program.

After the Lobos last reached the postseason in 2013, they struggled at times and fell short of reaching the playoffs before finally breaking through this year.

Led by head coach Victor Martinez, Lopez was in the mix for the District 32-5A title until late in the season, but finished as the runner up and earned its berth in the postseason.

For his efforts leading the Lobos and ending their playoff drought, Martinez has been named The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Baseball Coach of the Year.

“ I want to thank my coaching staff,” Martinez said. “Those guys are the backbone for this program. They’ve always been there with me, helping out the kids and developing those kids. They went above and beyond. Like any other program, to be a winning program you have to have great coaches around you and my staff did a great job this year.

“ Moving forward, I’m glad I have those guys in my corner because they make things easier for me.”

This season, the Lobos had a mix of seniors, including eventual District 32-5A and All-Metro MVP Alex Olguin, and several youths that came together to get Lopez off to a good start in district play. It started 3-1 and then won six straight. Despite finishing 2-2, the Lobos had already secured their spot in the postseason for the first time in five seasons.

Even though the playoff exit was quicker than it expected, Martinez and Lopez could see the fruits of its labor over the last five years. All the ups and downs paid off as the program got back to its current level.

The program has found success because of Martinez’s development of players like Olguin, seeing his talent and potential and helped groom him into an NCAA Division I baseball prospect that committed to Texas Southern University this past fall.

“ He’s been my mentor since my freshman year,” Olguin said. “All four years, he’s taught me to be humble, but stay hungry. From my freshman year, (he told me) ‘you have to keep working and better things are going to come.’

“ I thank him for that.”

Martinez sees this season as a turning point and hopefully the momentum can continue next year.

“ The future looks bright,” he said. “We can’t wait to see what’s ahead of us. The kids see that we can make things happen, we can be successful. Everyone sees what role they have to take to be successful and I think they’re excited to do their job. I think the kids are up to the challenge.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

The coaching vacancy at Port Isabel wasn’t open very long once again.

The Port Isabel Independent School District issued a press release Tuesday to announce that it had hired a new athletic director/head football coach, Jason Strunk.

According to the press release, Strunk began his coaching career as an assistant in 1996 in Pennsylvania with three years at Nazareth and six more at Northampton before making the jump to the collegiate level as a linebackers coach at Muhlenberg College before coming a head coach at a college in Plant City, Florida.

Most recently, after a yearlong stint at Purdue University as the offensive quality control and assistant offensive line coach in 2010, Strunk returned to the high school sidelines in 2011 where he held the head football coaching position at Lubbock High School. Strunk led Lubbock to a playoff berth in his second season, the school’s first since 1975, but had an 11-60 overall record during his tenure.

Now Strunk will take over the program that Jaime Infante left when he resigned last month after just one season. Infante had a disappointing 2-7 season that had many growing pains throughout, including a transition to a new offensive system and injuries to at least three quarterbacks and other key players, but the Tarpons still nearly made the postseason.

A loss in their district finale ended the frustrating season and six months later, Infante turned in his notice. He’ll complete his contract that ends at the end of June.

Infante took over for Monty Stumbaugh, who wasn’t retained at the end of his contract two years ago despite the success he brought to the field with numerous district titles and nearly a playoff berth every season in 15 years at the helm.

Strunk will certainly have his work cut out for himself after becoming the third coach in the last three years for Port Isabel. After another change at the top, the Tarpons will surely experience changes with coordinators and other coaches in the next few months as they seek a playoff berth for the first time since 2016.

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ANDREW CRUM |The Brownsville Herald

In a special board meeting last week, the Brownsville Independent School District chose a new athletic director to lead its athletics.

Gilbert Leal, a former head coach at Mercedes and Harlingen South and most recently, the offensive coordinator at San Benito, has become the new athletic director at BISD. He replaces Tom Chavez, who was working in an interim capacity along with his duties at Rivera as head football coach/athletic coordinator for the better part of two years after Mark Guess, the last full-time athletic director, returned to the sidelines to coach football and take over athletic coordinator duties at Hanna after Rene Medrano retired.

“I’m good friends with all the coaches in the Brownsville area,” Leal said. “We share a lot of ideas, so the way I look at it is I’m not going to be their boss … we work in the same profession and I’m trying to serve them and help them in any way possible.”

Leal is no stranger to the Rio Grande Valley, he grew up in Harlingen and played three sports at Harlingen High, football, basketball and baseball, and became captain on each squad competing against several athletes from Brownsville that are now friends and fellow coaches.

“My entire life in athletics has been competing with the Brownsville schools,” he said.

After Leal played football at University of Texas-El Paso and Sul Ross State University, he began his coaching career at Harlingen High as an assistant for the next 12 years, including the last five as an offensive coordinator. He got his first experience as an athletic director at

Mercedes and was the head football coach from 2005-2008 and took the Harlingen South job from 2009-11. He went to San Antonio Jefferson as a special teams coordinator, then to Hidalgo as an offensive coordinator until Dan Gomez hired him in the same capacity to run his offense at San Benito.

Leal said he is one of three sons to a former college president and that each has some type of leadership position. Leal learned a lot at Mercedes in a similar position and hopes to use those early experiences to apply to his new position at BISD.

Leal will finish out the school year at San Benito until its graduation on June 1 and start at BISD on June 4 and he’s anxious to get started.

“It’s my natural personality to build,” he said. “I love building programs, building relationships. I’m a people person so we’ll work together collaboratively and put together a plan that those coaches need across all sports in boys and girls and then we’ll go from there and form a plan that works. It just something that I naturally like to do, to work with people and move objects from point A to B and try to do it the right way.”

Leal believes this position is a good fit for him and hopes to continue what became a mission when he was at Mercedes and making sure that athletes from the Valley were on equal playing fields with schools across the state, especially with hosting duties during regionals and other postseason play.

“I love competition,” he said. “Now I can pour all my energy, my vision and my support to help all six schools and 12 middle schools. I’m trying to help the athletes of the Rio Grande Valley. Fight for those athletes and especially those in BISD.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

LOS FRESNOS — Los Fresnos started quickly, but it wasn’t enough to match the offensive output by Edinburg Vela.

The Falcons scored four early runs, but the Sabercats mounted the comeback with 10 runs in the last two innings in a 12-7 victory in Game 2 of a Class 6A regional quarterfinal series Friday.

Trailing 5-2, Vela (26-5) put up seven runs in the sixth inning and added three more in the seventh as it’s bats got going at the right time to tie the series at 1 and force the deciding Game 3, which is today at 2 p.m. at PSJA High.

“We made a couple bad pitches and they hit them and scored some runs.” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “They took the lead and started playing with a little more excitement on that side. The credit goes to those guys, they swung the bats when they had to … they’re a good hitting team and we made a couple pitches that weren’t very good and they hit them.”

Los Fresnos (27-10) got started quickly and scored a run in the each of the last three innings, but it wasn’t enough to match the Sabercats flurry of runs late in Game 2.

The Falcons wasted no time getting a lead. Los Fresnos put up four runs during its first at-bat, a run on an error, an RBI double by JJ Sanchez and a two-run single by Ian Danielson gave it a good cushion to start.

Vela finally got on the board two innings later with a two-run home run by Ramsey Amador to cut the deficit in half.

The Falcons added a run to extend their lead to 5-2 on a wild pitch and had a few plays on defense that helped keep the lead.

But the momentum shifted quickly in the sixth inning. The Sabercats exploded for seven runs, including an RBI singles by Nico Rodriguez and Jaime Perez, Jr., Eric Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home a run and Joey Recio added a two-run single down the line in right to take a 9-5 lead.

“That caused a lot of damage,” Edinburg Vela coach Jaime Perez said of the runs in the sixth and seventh innings. “That’s a good group of guys over there, they’re well-coached and do a lot of great things … they made us work. We got punched in the mouth (Friday), like a boxer they knocked us down two or three times, but we still kept getting up. When Amador hit the bomb, it turned a switch for us.”

Los Fresnos got one back in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single by Carlos Perez to cut it to 9-6.

Vela wasn’t done though and added three more runs in the seventh. A two-run double by Amador and an RBI single by Martinez pushed the lead to 12-6. Amador finished 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run, a double, scored two runs and had four RBIs.

The Falcons got a sacrifice fly by Joseph Munoz in the bottom half, but it wasn’t enough as the series moved back to even.

Adam Alviso got the win after he pitched four innings and allowed five runs on five hits, walked three, struck out five and had four hit batsmen for the Sabercats.

Cristian Hernandez took the loss for Los Fresnos after he came in in relief and got roughed up in 3 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs on five hits, walked three and struck out three.

Perez was happy to get the win and continue the series that has had plenty of intense moments in two games thus far.

“They made us work, but what a game it’s going to set up for (today),” he said. “It’s two great clubs just duking it out right now … it’s a heavyweight fight. It’s baseball, we’ll just see what happens, everyone is emptying all we have to get W’s.

“It’s a helluva fight, it’s a great series. We’re toe-to-toe and we’re both a little wobbly, but it is what is and we’ll see what happens (today).”

For the Falcons, they had the advantage Thursday. Now it’s winner-take-all.

“We have to regroup, we have seven innings to play and we’ll go from there,” Morales said. “Anything can happen, we’re tied up, back at zero-zero. Whoever wins the next game is advancing to the next round.

“Nothing changes (for us), it’s a one-game playoff, so let’s go.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ANDREW CRUM | The Brownsville Herald

SAN JUAN — After a tough day at the plate and down to his last strike in his last at-bat with two outs, Los Fresnos’ George Villafranca made up for it against Edinburg Vela.

With the Falcons trailing by a run in the final inning, Villafranca hit a two-run home run to give the Falcons a 5-4 victory over the Sabercats in Game 1 of a Class 6A regional quarterfinal series Thursday at PJSA High.

“I got more confident and more confident and I fouled off a few and said I know I can hit this guy,” Villafranca said. “I stayed composed, I waited for the right pitch and it went. Now that we’re up one, all we have to do is keep up with the momentum. A lot of people doubted us … people don’t think we’re going to win, but we want to prove them wrong.

“I believe in my team and I know they believe in me, otherwise I wouldn’t have hit that.”

The senior outfielder had flied out and struck out twice before he found his pitch and put it over the left field fence to give Los Fresnos (27-9) a lead and it held on to take Game 1 and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series over Vela (25-5) and end their 17-game winning streak. Game 2 is tonight at 7 p.m. at Los Fresnos.

“It was very big, (Villafranca) had a couple strikeouts early in the game and he came up clutch in that last at-bat,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said of Villafranca’s last-inning heroics. “That’s baseball … it was a clutch hit and it was a great game.”

Los Fresnos quickly got going in the first inning. The Falcons scored a pair of runs, one on an errant throw and another on an RBI single by Hugo Sanchez to lead 2-0.

Vela got one back in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Galvan to cut the deficit in half.

The Sabercats tied it at 2 in the fourth inning with a solo home run by Eric Martinez.

The Falcons retook the lead in the fifth inning on another RBI single by Sanchez to make it 3-2.

Vela retook the lead in the sixth inning when Martinez drove in two runs with a single to left with the bases loaded and it took a 4-3 advantage.

Los Fresnos started the seventh inning with a strikeout before JJ Sanchez drew a walk. JJ Sanchez stole second and advanced to third on a ground ball out. Villafranca was down to his final strike before he connected and gave the Falcons a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish and an important win to start the series.

“We made a bad pitch and we catch that (foul) ball, who knows what happens,” Edinburg Vela coach Jaime Perez said of a foul ball Villafranca hit that dropped in foul territory on the third base side before he hit the home run. “He got an extra pitch and it cost us, but baseball’s like that. You give someone life and usually they make you pay.

“The baseball gods weren’t with us, but it is what it is.”

Senior Victor Montemayor earned the win for the Falcons after going six innings and he allowed four runs on six hits, walked two and struck out five. Cristian Hernandez earned the save; he gave up a hit, but closed the door with three strikeouts in one inning of work.

Galvan went six inning and allowed three runs on four hits, walked six and struck out nine, but took the no-decision and Andre Martinez took the loss for Vela after he allowed two runs on a hit, walked one and struck out two and had a hit batsman.

Perez compared the series to two prizefighters and his team took the first punch.

“It’s two of the top teams in the Valley duking it out in the third round,” he said. “It’s two good clubs and that’s the bottom line, they’re where they’re at for a reason and we’re at where we’re at for a reason. Our backs are against the wall, but we’re resilient and we’ll be all right. The seniors have to understand what’s at stake, now we’re going to their park with our backs against the wall and we have to force them to come back here on Saturday.”

Once again the seniors came through for Los Fresnos and they aren’t finished yet.

“The seniors don’t want the season to finish and they’re playing hard, giving us everything,” Morales said. “They keep battling, they keep fighting and keep believing what were asking them to do and want to keep going. We’re going to do the same thing we’ve been doing (today). Get ready to go mentally, physically and let’s go, (today’s) going to be another great ballgame like (last night) and we’ll see.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.