By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

Rivera only needed one inning to make the difference against Hanna.

The Raiders’ offense exploded for eight runs in the third inning and starting pitcher Johnny Balli did the rest in a 9-4 victory over the Golden Eagles in a District 32-6A game Friday at Hanna. Rivera also defeated Hanna 5-1 on Tuesday at home.

“I just want to give the grace to God, I let my hard work show,” Balli said. “Our team had a lot of confidence coming into the season … we’re competing with a good team going 2-0. It’s a big sign we do have potential on our team and we can go far in the playoffs.”

The Raiders sent 12 players to the plate in the third and used three hits, five walks and two hits batsmen to score eight runs to take an 8-0 advantage and roughed up two Eagles pitchers before another reliever took his turn on the mound.

“We’re playing our best baseball right now,” Rivera coach Travis Parker said. “The way we approached that inning … we felt if we could jump on them, we felt we had the advantage. One turned into eight and that was the ball game.”

Balli earned the win for Rivera (2-0 in District 32-6A) after going 6 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on three hits, walked just one and struck out nine and had three hits batsmen. The right-hander allowed three of those in one inning on a couple wild pitches and a fielders choice, but otherwise kept Hanna (0-2) off-balanced the rest of the night. He also helped his own cause with two walks at the plate and scored a pair of runs.

“Johnny is our work horse and we expect that from him every time he goes out there,” Parker said. “When he’s on like that, it’s going to be tough for the hitters.”

It was scoreless until the third, when the Raiders suddenly got its bats going. Rivera stated the inning with a pair of walks and then got a hits batsman to load them up. Danny Alvear was hit by a pitch to bring in a run and Omar Rodriguez followed with a two-run single to center to bring home two more. The Raiders then drew three straight walks, including one by Diego Gonzalez with the bases loaded to score another run. Jesus Ibarra and Allen Eguia followed with an RBI single each and added a run via a passed ball for an 8-0 lead.

“We just couldn’t find the strike zone and it’s tough to defend a walk,” Hanna coach Jameson Wicks said. “I’d rather them string together a few hits and make our defense work opposed to giving free passes. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Not to take anything from (Rivera) they came out and competed. We can’t expect to come back from a deficit like that … those get you in the rear end, a big inning like that and changes the dynamic of the game.”

In the bottom half of the third, the Eagles got a few runs back. Hanna scored two runs on wild pitches and another run on a fielders choice, but still trailed 8-3.

Rivera added a run in the seventh on an RBI single by Gonzalez to push the lead to 9-3.

Gonzalez and Rodriguez each finished with a pair of RBIs and scored a run for the Raiders.

The Eagles got one back on a passed ball, but it couldn’t get any more runs across the plate in the district loss.

Hanna starting pitcher Rolando Ramirez took the loss after he went just 2 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on one hit, walked two and struck out one and had a pair of hits batsmen.

“We’re a still a good ball club,” Wicks said. “We’re 0-2 to start district, but we have quite a few games to play. I know these guys aren’t worried. It’s tough; it’s been a tough week. We just need to focus on the next game, not the rest of the season. We’re going to regroup.”

It was the first time in Parker’s tenure that one of his teams beat Hanna in district and they did it in back-to-back games.

“I’m excited about the opportunity, the group we have, I’m so proud of them,” Parker said. “Our expectations are high and we expect to meet those expectations and now it’s about playing the game and we’re playing it really well at this point in the season. We have to bring the same energy day in and day out. That’s the toughest thing, that mental edge every single time and if we do that we should hopefully be in the thick of things.”

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

Pace wasted no time getting its bats going against Mercedes, but unfortunately it wouldn’t be enough in the end.

The Vikings let an early lead slip away and didn’t have enough offensive firepower to match the Tigers who exploded for 10 runs during the last two innings to pull off the comeback, 13-10, in a District 32-5A game Thursday at Pace.

“I think offensively we took our foot off the pedal and we started coasting … you cannot do that, you can’t take any team for granted,” Pace coach Roy Rodriguez said. “We started fast, but we have to keep going and scoring and if not they’re going to creep up and beat us and that’s what happened (Thursday).

“My hats off to (Mercedes), they battled back.”

Through four innings Pace held a 7-2 lead, but Mercedes (1-2 in District 32-5A) was about to get the bats going. The Tigers rallied with 11 runs, including 10 in the sixth and seventh innings to complete their comeback and stun the Vikings (1-2).

An RBI single by Jay Garcia got Mercedes within four runs in the fifth inning, but the last two innings were a different story. The Tigers knocked out Pace starter Leo Villarreal in the sixth and Jose Banda came in for relief, but faced a tough task with the bases loaded and no outs. Josh Rodriguez, Ale Cabrera and Garcia all had RBI singles and Mando Reyes drew a bases loaded walk. Mercedes got another run after a passed ball and turned the deficit into an 8-7 lead.

Pace tied it at 8 with an RBI single by Jose Ramirez, but the Tigers weren’t finished yet.

Two singles and a hits batsman loaded the bases in the top of the seventh and Cabrera got a base clearing triple. Two batters later, he scored on an RBI single by Reyes, who eventually scored on another passed ball for a 13-8 advantage.

“We just got lucky,” Mercedes coach Armando Reyes said. “The kids were being patient. We have to manufacture runs, we’re not an overpowering team, so we’re going to try to play small ball and try to be aggressive on the bases. That was our philosophy, our mindset going in. Fortunately, we had some things go our way, got a couple key hits with runners on and I think that sparked the energy with the kids and gave them confidence to hit the ball.”

Trey Davila had a two-run double to get the Vikings within three runs, but that’s all Pace would get as Mercedes got a ground ball to end a wild game and earn its first district win of the season.

Davila finished 3 for 5 with a double, a run scored and six RBIs, but it wouldn’t be enough in this one for the Vikings.

J.P. Luna earned the win for the Tigers after pitching 5 1/3 innings in relief and allowed four runs on five hits, walked two and struck out five, but had three hits batsmen.

Cabrera finished with four RBIs, Garcia had three RBIs and Josh Rodriguez scored four runs for Mercedes.

Banda took the loss for Pace after coming in to relieve Villarreal in the sixth. Banda was roughed up, allowing seven runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out three, but also had a hits batsman.

It was a very different game early on. Mercedes took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after it scored a run on a wild pitch.

Pace didn’t trail very long after getting going in the bottom half of the first. Davila drove in two runs with a single to left and a few batters later, Austin Sulewski added an RBI double to take a 3-1 lead.

The Vikings kept up the production in the second inning as Davila had another two-run single and Villarreal had an RBI single to give them a 6-1 advantage.

The Tigers got one back in the third inning on an RBI double by Garcia, but still trailed 6-2.

Pace added another run on a ground-rule double by Angel Gomez to take a 7-2 edge, but Mercedes gained the momentum with its late rally to earn the victory.

Reyes was happy to get the first victory in district play.

“It’s a confidence booster, but this is the type of game you’re going to see in this district,” he said. “Everyone can beat anyone on any given night. The teams that come out with the most energy and make the fewest mistakes are the ones who are going to win.”

Pace was ready to move forward, but hopefully take with it some knowledge.

“These games are going to be like this, nail biters, close-knit games and that’s the beauty of games in this district, it’s very competitive,” Roy Rodriguez said. “We can’t relax. We have to move on and let it be a learning experience … learn what we did wrong and don’t let it happen again. We’ll regroup.”

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 the game tied at 1, Lopez’s Alex Olguin just needed a chance in his final at-bat against Donna North.

The senior came through with a walk-off single to drive in the winning run in the Lobos 2-1 victory over the Chiefs in a District 32-5A game Tuesday at Lopez.

“I was just trying to do my job,” Olguin said. “I was crowding the plate, so I moved back a little bit and the ball found the barrel.”

Olguin came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning with two on and two out after Ivan Banuelos reached on an error and Jose Rodriguez followed with a single. Olguin got his pitch and drove it to center field over a pulled in outfield as Banuelos crossed the plate for the game-winner to give Lopez a 2-0 start in District 32-5A and Donna North drops to 0-2 in district play.

“We always rely on Alex on the mound or with the bat and 9 out of 10 times he comes through,” Lopez coach Victor Martinez said. “This time around he came through.”

It was a pitcher’s duel early as Olguin was on the mound for the Lobos and the Chiefs countered with southpaw Orlando Hernandez. Olguin made the first mistake as Gerry Sanchez came through with a two-out single. Next batter Ryan Pequeno was hit by a pitch and Sergio Canales followed with an RBI single to left that gave Donna North a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Unfortunately, that’s the only run it would get.

“We put the ball in play, but just right at them,” Donna North coach Leroy Rodriguez said. “If we find a hole one of those times, we probably score and take the lead. I told the team we have to be aggressive, (Olguin) is one of the better pitchers in the district. We tried to get an early run or two, but hat’s off to (Olguin) he did a good job … my guy threw a helluva game, too.

“It’s just unfortunate, somebody has to win and somebody has to loss and we came up just short. That’s the way it is.”

The Chiefs would keep the lead until Lopez got going in the bottom half of the fifth inning. An error gave the Lobos a baserunner and an RBI single by Jose Rodriguez to center tied it at 1.

“The second or third time through the order we felt a lot better,” Martinez said. “We started making contact and I give Donna North credit, they were making the routine plays … it was just a matter of time. I’m glad our kids stayed focused and stayed within their approach to get quality at-bats and I’m glad we could finish the job.”

Olguin and Hernandez continued to keep the hitters at bay until the bottom of the seventh. Olguin, who had drawn an intentional walk the previous at-bat, got a chance to hit and he came through and drove a pitch to center that sealed the win for Lopez.

“We didn’t want the bases loaded and get a passed ball or a balk brings one in … they have to go out and earn it,” Leroy Rodriguez said of his decision to pitch to Olguin. “(Hernandez) threw a curve ball and we wanted it away but he threw it down the middle and you saw what happened. He’s a good hitter and I wanted to play the percentages … he did what good hitters do.”

Olguin went 1 for 3 at the plate with a walk and an RBI; on the mound he threw a complete game and allowed just one run on five scattered hits, walked none and struck out four with a pair of hits batsmen.

“It feels awesome,” he said. “I told the guys to keep fighting and just give me one run … that’s all I need. That’s what they did and I backed them up on the mound. It means a lot, it’s our goal to get a district title … we just have to take one game at a time.”

Hernandez pitched nearly as well in the loss; he also went the distance and allowed two runs on five hits, walked one and struck out eight for Donna North.

“No one wants to start 0-2 in district, but I think this is an encouraging sign,” Leroy Rodriguez said. “We played good defense, we were aggressive with the bats and I told them we’ll get some hits to fall and score more runs. Hopefully we can bounce back on Thursday against Porter and get that first district win.”

For Lopez, this marks the second straight district game ithad to come back after an early deficit.

“The character of our team … we never give up,” Martinez said. “That’s something very special with our team. No matter what the score is or what inning it is, we’re never going to give up and we play a full game.”

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

After a scoreless game through four innings, one bad inning for St. Joseph Academy was the difference against Raymondville.

The Bloodhounds gave up four runs in the fifth inning and didn’t have enough offense to come back in a 5-2 loss to the Bearkats in a non-district game Saturday at St. Joseph.

St. Joseph starter Arturo Trevino was cruising through four innings, throwing a no-hit shutout, but fatigue started to set in during the fifth inning and Raymondville finally broke through to get all the runs it needed. But the Bearkats had to hold off the Bloodhounds during their final at-bat with two runners on and two outs and the winning run at the plate.

“He was still throwing well, but starting to leave some of his pitches up,” St. Joseph Academy coach Steven Najera said of Trevino. “He was a little bit gassed. We had one inning where they scored four, but overall I was happy with our performance. We wanted to make a good showing and I think we did.

“Our defense played well, but it’s eliminating those costly errors … we only had a couple, but they were with runners on base. Those are the little things we have to do.”

Trevino and Raymondville starter Nathaniel Garcia had a duel going through the first four innings, neither allowing much to the opponents offense until the Bearkats struck first.

Raymondville broke the scoreless tie getting three runs on a wild pitch and passed balls and an RBI single by Darren Ramirez to take a 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning.

“We started a little tired, but we were able to warm up and our freshmen and everyone came through,” Raymondville coach Judson Savage said. “First pitch strikes are key and then great defense behind (Garcia).”

Trevino went 4 2/3 innings, allowed four runs on just two hits, walked three and struck out four in the loss for the Bloodhounds.

St. Joseph got one back in the bottom half of the inning after a throwing error allowed Eric Stachowiak to score.

The Bloodhounds cut the deficit in half in the sixth inning on a two-out RBI single by Stachowiak.

The Bearkats picked up an insurance run in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Derick Ramirez to extend their lead to 5-2.

St. Joseph had a chance in the bottom half with two on and two out, but Raymondville pitcher Noe Zambrano escaped the jam getting a groundout to end the rally and the game.

“We’re working on cutting down our strikeouts,” Najera said. “We had a couple key strikeouts in situations with runners on base.

“We have to put the ball in play more.”

Garcia went six innings, allowed two runs on five hits, walked four and struck out four to get the win. Zambrano pitched the final inning and gave up a hit and a walk, but got two strikeouts and out of a jam with the tying run at the plate to earn the save for the Bearkats.

With his team on a roll this week, Savage hopes they can continue the momentum throughout District 32-4A.

“I’ve got a young team, I started a freshman on the mound (Saturday),” he said. “We started district 1-0 with a 10-inning win over Port Isabel. I think we’re prepared to get back into district next week and hopefully get to 2-0.”

Despite the loss, Najera feels his team is going in the right direction.

“I like the approach we had, but we just have to keep our heads up,” he said. “They’re grinding in practice and working on getting better and the fruits of their labor is starting to pay off. We’re just missing that one key hit with runners on base … that was the difference (Saturday). (Raymondville) had the key hit with runners in scoring position and that’s what I stress. When we move runners over when he have guys in scoring position I need someone to step up and get that one key hit to make the difference.”

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

Cristian Gonzalez is getting into an offensive groove for Hanna and continued that against PSJA High.

Gonzalez knocked in three runs to lead the Golden Eagles’ offense as they came back from an early deficit to take a 7-2 victory over the Bears in a non-district game Friday at Hanna. The teams play a doubleheader today at noon at PSJA High.

“I’ve just kept my confidence up and I knew it would come around,” Gonzalez said of an early season slump. “We started off slow offensively, but everyone is coming around and our defense really sparks our offense … good pitching and plays on defense and I think that gives us confidence.”

The senior first baseman went 2 for 3 hitting a deep home run to left field and added an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to give Hanna all the runs it would need.

The rest of the team followed suit and erased a 2-0 deficit by scoring seven unanswered runs in the win.

“The hits are falling (for us),” Hanna coach Jameson Wicks said. “(Cristian) went off during our last tournament, he’s been doing this all year. Hopefully he can keep it up.”

PSJA High took the early lead in the top of the first inning. A sacrifice fly by Vicente Castillo scored Ariben Gutierrez, who reached on an error, and took a 1-0 lead.

In the second inning, the Bears put another run across the plate on a fielders choice by Joel Pecina to extend the lead to 2-0. But that’s all they’d get as their bats went quiet.

“We didn’t get the timely hits,” PSJA High coach Marco Guajardo said. “The momentum changed … (pitcher) Cheke (Marroquin) wasn’t comfortable on the mound … that carried over to our sticks as well. We just didn’t come through with our bats.”

Hanna got one back in the bottom half of the second as Jacob Lozano hit a single up the middle and scored Ricardo Perez, who had got a two-out single to get the Eagles going.

One inning later, Hanna took a 3-2 edge. The Eagles tied it up at 2 with a 1-out single hit back up the middle by Gonzalez and later in the inning, Hanna loaded the bases and scored on a wild pitch.

The Eagles added to their lead with a solo home run by Gonzalez in the fifth inning to push it to 4-2.

But Hanna wasn’t done yet. The Eagles put three more runs across the plate in the sixth inning for insurance as Jay Medina and Marco Sanchez each had an RBI singles and Gonzalez added a sacrifice fly.

“It’s something we’ve been doing all year,” Wicks said of his team’s offensive output. “We have to learn to let things like that go (early deficit), we don’t want to see things like that happen, but these guys battle. We’ve had several games where we had to battle back and PSJA High is a solid team. We can’t afford to make mistakes like that especially early in the game, it could have went very differently for us if we didn’t get those clutch hits.”

The offensive output was more than enough for Hanna starter Rolando Ramirez, who went six innings, allowed two runs on one hit, walked two, struck out four and had two hit batsmen to earn the win. Lee Alonso pitched a perfect seventh inning and struck out one.

Marroquin went four innings, allowed three runs on five hits, walked three and struck out three in the loss for PSJA High.

Guajardo wasn’t too concerned with the loss, with another pair of games against Hanna today.

“That’s a good team over there,” he said. “We’re using this series to get quality at-bats. We start district on Tuesday. I’m not worried so much about the wins or losses; just getting quality at-bats, see good pitching. I know this team will jell at the right time and we’ll be at the top (of district) … I think we are where we want to be.”

Both teams were in the postseason last year and it’s helping each prepare for district, which starts next week.

“This is a good way for us going into district,” Wicks said. “In the playoffs in a three-game series, we need to be able to see what we can do … so this is an important series for us.”

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

Brownsville Veterans Memorial started strong, but had to hold off Pace in the final inning.

The Chargers’ Cristian Holloway came through at the plate and on the mound and got a strong outing from starter Justin Anaya in the 4-3 victory over the Vikings in the District 32-5A opener for both teams Tuesday at Brownsville Veterans.

“It feels really good that I can come in clutch for the team and produce,” Holloway said. “We played good defense, so that helps a lot. I just had to stay confident (on the mound) … I knew I had to throw fastballs and get him out.”

Holloway had a clutch two-run single in the fourth inning that gave Brownsville Veterans (1-0 in District 32-5A) a 4-0 cushion and proved to be the difference. Pace (0-1) tried to rally in the seventh inning with a two-out, three-run triple by Angel Lopez, but Holloway came in for relief and got the final out with a strikeout to end the game and seal the win.

“(Cristian) came in clutch both times,” Brownsville Veterans coach Albert Rodriguez said. “Nine out of 10 times he’s going to throw the first strike and strike him out. He had a great approach at the plate … he had a great hit, it was clutch.”

Holloway was 1 for 2 with a walk and two RBIs at the plate and pitched the final 1/3 of an inning with a strikeout.

The Chargers took an early lead with a pair of RBI singles in the second inning. After Anaya singled to start the inning, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, Jesus Lozano hit a shot to right field to give his team a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Javier Hinojosa connected with a pitch to left field that scored Lozano for a 2-0 advantage.

Two innings later, Holloway drove in a pair of runs on a sharp single up the middle to give Brownsville Veterans a 4-0 edge and that would knock out Vikings starter Chris Rodriguez, who went four innings, allowed four runs on six hits, walked two and struck out six in the loss.

“We had a lot of bad outings defensively,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of errors and I told them we have to play solid D and make the routine plays. Our pitching is going to be there, but we have to score and score often. That’s what we did (Tuesday).”

Anaya was strong, going 5 2/3 innings, allowed no runs on just one hit, walked one and struck out 11 to earn the win.

Pace struggled at the plate during the first six innings, but got its offense going and loaded the bases with two outs before Lopez came through with the clutch hit to cut the deficit to a run. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Holloway came in and shut the door with a strikeout to earn the save.

“Just like our last two games last year, they go down to the wire and the same thing (Tuesday),” Pace coach Roy Rodriguez said. “We were expecting a fight to the end. I told the kids to keep fighting and that’s what we did … we made it a game. Unfortunately, we didn’t take care of business to start the game; we couldn’t generate hits, get runners on base. We fell behind and when you have good pitching like they do, it’s tough to bounce back.”

Lopez was 2 for 4 with the triple and three RBIs for Pace.

Close games have been a frustration for the Vikings going back to last season. They know they need to find a way to be on the other side and win.

“I’m proud of the kids, we’ve worked really hard and that’s all I’m expecting them to do … go down fighting every inning and we did that,” Roy Rodriguez said. “That’s been our thorn in the side. We start off slow and make a run at the end, but we have to start from the get-go. We can’t wait to turn it up against a good ball club, that’s something we’ll have to work at.”

For the Chargers, it’s another good start to District 32-5A and they hope it ends that way as well.

“It means a lot (to win),” Albert Rodriguez said. “We have to polish the things we need to polish. It’s a great win for us and give us momentum and hopefully we’ll keep going in the right direction.”

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 2018 baseball season is already in full swing for Metro-area teams. With district games starting this week, the heart of the season is upon us.
Los Fresnos is the defending District 32-6A champion and returns a wealth of experience hoping for an even deeper run in the postseason this year.

The Falcons have earned a trip to the area round in each of the past two seasons.

“We’re trying to build chemistry, that’s big for us. It’s the first thing we try to build,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “I think the kids are starting to realize that’s a part of our program. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re working on that. Trying to get on the same page and doing the same thing.”

With four seniors leading the way, including All-Metro MVP JJ Sanchez and All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year Joseph Munoz, and All-Metro first teamers pitcher Cristian Hernandez and outfielder George Villafranca among those returning this season there’s no reason to doubt that Los Fresnos will be again in the mix for another district title and another postseason berth.

“The young kids are looking up the older kids and listening to them,” Morales said. “They know the seniors are leading them in the right direction … it’s a work in progress.”

Senior southpaw pitcher Victor Montemayor returns to the rotation, senior first baseman Hugo Sanchez, junior catcher Tony Gallegos and sophomore third baseman Carlos Perez are also coming back to make the Falcons the top team in the Metro-area and possibly one of the best in the Rio Grande Valley.

A pair of seniors, Brynn Ramirez and Charles Chapa, five juniors, Sebastian Ledezma, Johnny Cadengo, Ian Danielson, Lee Trevino and Alex Salas, and two freshmen, Jacob Sandoval and Victor Loa, are also in the mix to help Los Fresnos earn its third straight postseason berth.

The expectations are high this season for the Falcons, but they welcome the challenge.

“Our goals are pretty high,” Morales said. “We want to get better than last year, every senior group wants to be better than the group before. We want to get better and keep getting better, but we’ll take it game by game and hopefully we’ll be better than last year. They’ve put the work in during the offseason; their work ethic has been good.

“The team chemistry, I believe in that. Once we get everyone on the same page, I feel all the pieces will start fitting together like they should.”

HANNA GOLDEN EAGLES
Hanna has a new man at the helm, Jameson Wicks. Former head coach Eddie Garcia stepped down in the offseason after nine seasons to become an assistant on the Hanna softball team to help coach his daughter. Garcia led the Golden Eagles to a runner-up finish in District 32-6A last season and their ninth straight postseason berth, including a trip to the second round.

Wicks hopes to continue that annual playoff journey with All-Metro Pitcher of the Year Noe Guerrero III returning for his senior season to lead the way. Guerrero, who is committed to Texas Southern University, had a minuscule 1.14 ERA in 61 1/3 innings last season with 57 strikeouts. He had four complete games, three shutouts, including a no hitter.

Fellow senior Cristian Gonzalez, a University of the Incarnate Word commit, also returns and was an All-Metro second teamer at first baseman a year ago. Also coming back for the Eagles are seniors Raul Perez (outfielder/pitcher), who was a first-team District 32-6A selection and Ryan Casas (infielder), who earned second-team district honors.

Also returning for Hanna on its senior-laden squad are five seniors, Jay Medina, Rolando Ramirez, Ricardo Perez, Johnathan Castro and Lee Alonzo, and sophomore Mark Alonzo is a new addition to varsity this season.

The Eagles certainly have the experience and talent coming back and should be able to challenge Los Fresnos once again for the top of the District 32-6A standings.

RIVERA RAIDERS
Rivera finished back in the pack in District 32-6A last year, but with some good experience returning this could be a breakthrough season for the Raiders.

The top returner for Rivera is All-Metro second team third baseman Danny Alvear, a senior who also with handle duties on the mound and behind the plate as well. A trio of juniors, shortstop Michael Gomez, outfielder/pitcher Raul Gonzalez and first baseman/pitcher Jose Hernandez will be looked to lead the Raiders’ squad that is a mix of experienced and youth.

Rivera have eight other players with varsity experience coming back as well as two seniors, Johnny Balli and Diego Gonzalez, and a sophomore Omar Rodriguez that are new to the varsity this season.

The Raiders have a good group that look to turn the corner.

“We truly believe we can meet our expectations with the talent we’ve got, with our baseball IQ,” Rivera coach Travis Parker said. “I see us fighting for a playoff spot this year.”

With the experience all over the field returning and a rotation with three senior arms, Rivera could make some noise in District 32-6A.

“Everything starts with pitching … pitching, good defense and timely hitting,” Parker said. “It’s a formula for any good baseball team. I believe we have top-notch pitching to hang with the district. I feel we are a more confident team and when we step on the field we’re expecting to win.”

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL CHARGERS
Last year was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Brownsville Veterans Memorial, but the Chargers earned a postseason berth after they finished second in District 32-5A under new coach Albert Rodriguez.

Led by junior and All-Metro Newcomer of the Year Justin Anaya, Brownsville Veterans looks to earn another playoff spot and challenge for the district title. The Chargers aren’t letting a lack of experience determine how far they can go with talent at many positions. All-Metro second team catcher and senior Aaron Recio returns as well as junior first baseman Ruben Gallegos and sophomore pitcher Jorge Lozano.

Unfortunately for Rodriguez as he starts his second season at the helm, he’ll be without a couple players. Brownsville Veterans senior top pitcher and All-Metro second-teamer Sammy Chapa was injured during football season and is likely to miss the season as his rehabilitation continues and another player, Alex Betancourt, transferred to IMG Academy in Florida.

“We have a lot of new faces with a lot of underclassmen that are going to have to prove themselves at the varsity level and do it quick,” Rodriguez said. “The kids are working hard day in and day out and all committed to being a team. I like the kids’ chemistry and they are united, (they’re) together all the time on and off the field.”

The youth movement continues for the Chargers with six players new to varsity, junior Jesus Lozano, a trio of sophomores, Cristian Holloway, Rafael Parra and Jesus Kaar, as well as a pair of freshmen, Rafael Capistran and Javier Hinojosa.

After falling short of a District 32-5A title last year, Brownsville Veterans feels like it will again challenge for the top spot.

“We have a bittersweet taste in our mouths from last year,” Rodriguez said. “This year we have some new faces, but we still feel like we can compete for a district title. We want to have a great season, get at least 20 wins, win the district title and hopefully go a couple rounds deep in the playoffs so the kids can continue to build on that.”

LOPEZ LOBOS
Lopez finished out of the playoff race last year in District 32-5A. But Alex Olguin, the All-Metro first-teamer and District 32-5A’s top offensive player returns for his final season and he’s on a mission to get the Lobos to the postseason.

The Texas Southern University commit is the Lobos shortstop and their top pitcher, with a 2.79 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings last season during district play. But he was also trouble at the plate, hitting .368 with 14 hits in 38 at-bats, including a double, three triples and a pair of home runs. He scored 19 runs, stole 14 bases and drove in 15 runs during 14 District 32-5A games last year.

All-Metro second teamer and District 32-5A first team outfielder Sebastian Mujica also returns for his senior season, as does District 32-5A second team catcher Marco Ibarra. Mujica hit .300 and drove in 16 runs last season during district and Ibarra hit .333, scored 12 runs and drove in 13 for Lopez last year. Sophomore Jesus De Leon is back after earning district honors as the top utility player after he scored 17 runs, had six doubles and hit .304 during his first varsity season.

With talent and senior leadership in place, the Lobos are ready to be in the thick of the postseason mix. They must get off to a better start in district play, something that has hurt them in past years.

The main concern for Lopez is its pitching, particularly the rest of the rotation after Olguin.

“We’ve been hitting the ball well, so we’re working on our pitching,” Lopez coach Victor Martinez said. “We know Alex is always going to give us a great game every outing. In order for us to reach our goal, our No. 2, 3 and 4 have to perform … we’ll go as far as they will take us.”

The Lobos are aiming high, they don’t just want to end their playoff drought, they want to win the district title.

“Our expectations are always high,” Martinez said. “We set a goal to win a district championship … we’re going to go all out.

“Our eyes are on the title.”

PACE VIKINGS
Pace finished back in the pack in District 32-5A, but the Vikings have a senior-heavy group with plenty of experience returning in their third season under coach Roy Rodriguez.

Led by All-Metro second team and District 32-5A first team pitcher Christian Rodriguez, Pace has its top hurler back on the mound for his senior season. He had a 2.32 ERA and struck out 34 in 42 1/3 innings last year in seven starts, including three complete games during district play. Rodriguez also hit .313 and drove in 10 runs during District 32-5A games a year ago.

Four other seniors return after earning district honors last season, designated hitter Austin Sulewski, catcher Ramon Macias and outfielders Trey Davila and Angel Gomez.

Freshman Jose Banda is a newcomer to the varsity squad and expected to make an impact for the Vikings this season.

Pace has been in the mix for the postseason during the last week of the season for the last two years, but has unfortunately fallen short. The Vikings have been on the wrong side of many close games down the stretch and it has hurt their playoff chances. Rodriguez is confident that experience will finally pay off and hopefully put them in the postseason.

“We haven’t taken care of close games at the very end and that has bitten us,” he said. “We’re going back to the basics, emphasize the fundamentals of baseball and work on more game situations. It comes down to our mindset and be ready for anything … the kids have the experience and they have what it takes to win those close games.”

PORTER COWBOYS
Porter fell just short of a playoff berth after a fifth-place finish in District 32-5A last season. The Cowboys lost a few key seniors, especially their top two in the pitching rotation, but they have some experience that returns this year with the rest of the roster that is fairly young.

A pair of seniors, Jose Villalon and Saddam Cantu, and junior Cesar Lartigue will be expected to lead Porter and hopefully be in the mix for the postseason.

Four others, Aaron Gracia , Gustavo Garza , Erick Luiton and Mando De La Cruz, give the Cowboys some varsity experience that they’ll need to give them a chance in a tough district.

Porter coach Oscar Cortez is in his third year and will try to lift his team out of its playoff drought. The Cowboys last earned a playoff berth in 2015 after winning the District 32-5A title.

PORT ISABEL TARPONS
Port Isabel earned a postseason berth last season in District 32-4A, but lost five talented seniors from that roster.

Even with a younger roster this year, the goals remain the same for the Tarpons who return their top hurler, a senior and All-Metro first-teamer, Jose Martinez. He’ll be joined by a trio of fellow seniors with plenty of experience, Jeremy Martinez , Josiah Garza and Tyler Francis.

The four will be expected to lead the way toward another postseason run. The roster is much younger than last season with a group of sophomores, Pedro Gonzalez, Alek Zermeno, Jake Pinkerton, Frankie Silva, Preston Mena and Hugo Gonzalez that will be asked to step up into some starting roles.

Port Isabel always seemed to rely on a strong pitching staff and its defense and this year seems no different.

“We knew our strength was our pitching,” Port Isabel coach Robert Holland said. “But the young guys have got to come through (hitting), they have to get better. I know it’s always how we finish, not how we start.”

It’s still early, but once the youth on the team starts hitting more consistently, the Tarpons are going to be a dangerous team to face.

The Port Isabel seniors know what’s at stake to continue the tradition of the postseason.

“The young guys need to mature and the seniors need to be leaders and they need to stay together,” Holland said. “They expect it (to make the playoffs). We just have to find a way to win … get it done.”

ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY BLOODHOUNDS
St. Joseph Academy has a lot of experience returning this season for second-year coach Steven Najera, including All-Metro and district second teamer Arturo Trevino.

The Bloodhounds top two pitchers are back, seniors Trevino and Carlos Esteve, who also earned first-team honors in their TAPPS district last year. The pair also got it done at the plate, Trevino hit .422, had four doubles among his 19 hits and drove in 16 runs and Esteve had.385 average and 15 hits last season.

The pair, along with juniors Trevor Lette and Erik Stachowiak (both district second-team selections), and sophomores Senad Dervisevic and Carlos Sarmiento will be key to the team’s success. Lette will see time on the mound and in the infield, as will Dervisevic. Stachowiak will be in the outfield and Sarmiento will be behind the plate for St. Joseph.

Najera hopes to continue to build the program and get some much-needed consistency. With talented players returning and more depth in previous years, it seems the Bloodhounds are well on their way.

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

KINGSVILLE — Port Isabel had trouble from the start with Somerset’s height advantage.

The Tarpons couldn’t match the Bulldogs on the boards and a tough night from the floor added to their woes in a 74-36 loss in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal boys basketball game Tuesday at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Port Isabel (20-13) was outrebounded 41-19 and Somerset (26-9), the No. 22-ranked team in Class 4A, took advantage in the paint getting 20 points, six rebounds and five blocks from 6-foot, 10-inch Jacob Harvey and nine points, 16 boards and a block from 6-foot, 7-inch Zaddock Dinkelmann.

The Tarpons struggled to get things going on offense and made just 14 field goals, including five 3-pointers, on the night.

“We weren’t hitting our shots,” Port Isabel coach Mike Hazelton said. “We had to try to come in early and hit our shots and try to draw the two bigs out. When you’re not hitting the shots, there’s no sense for them defensively to play up.

“The plan was to hit some shots early and force them out … it didn’t happen.”

Port Isabel stayed with the Bulldogs in the opening quarter. After Harvey got a putback to give Somerset a 10-2 lead, Fernie Lopez hit a trey to pull the Tarpons within 16-10 and had six points in the quarter. The Bulldogs finished the quarter on a 6-2 spurt, however, to push the lead to 10 as Harvey notched 10 points in the first.

Port Isabel got a 3 from Daniel Rinza, Jr. and a bucket from Chuy Saldivar early in the second period to climb within 28-17, but Somerset made another move.

Isaiah Rivera had eight points during a 13-2 burst to finish the half and the Bulldogs increased their advantage to 41-19 at the break.

“We respected these guys; they were here for a reason,” Somerset coach Bryan Penna said. “I told the team don’t settle for 3s, that’s been our biggest issue … trying to go outside rather than inside. We knew they didn’t have anyone that could handle our bigs. So I said let’s hammer it inside and get to the basket as much as possible.

“We knew we had to get it to our bigs and our shooters and if we focused on those things it would lead to getting a (bigger) lead.”

The Tarpons continued to struggle on offense in the third quarter and Somerset continued to get buckets from inside and outside. Harvey had back-to-back buckets during a 12-0 run to finish and had eight points and Rivera also chipped in eight as the Bulldogs pushed their lead to 64-26 after three.

The teams were even in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done as Somerset was too much for Port Isabel during the Tarpons’ first trip to the third round of the postseason.

Rivera finished with a game-high 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Bulldogs.

As well as the offense played, Penna said he was just as happy with the defensive effort.

“Our defense has gotten better throughout district play, that’s been our foundation and we’ve gone from there,” he said.

Lopez led the Tarpons with nine points, including a pair of 3s, Rinza Jr. had eight points, three rebounds and a pair of steals and Tommy Zurita added six points, four rebounds and five steals.

The loss is bittersweet for Port Isabel, especially after turning it around this year with a familiar face on the sideline and making program history.

“I’m the third coach in four years,” Hazelton said of his return after coaching in some of the lower levels at the school a few years prior. “They’ve been through a lot, different styles (of play and coaching) and I was very happy for them to make the playoffs because no one believed we could do it. But we believed it and beat two teams outside the Valley.

“We got off to a great start in those two games, this one we didn’t and a lot of times in basketball that’s the way it is and it’s hard to play catch up.”

But the future looks bright for Hazelton and plenty of experience returning next season.

“There was a good nucleus (this season) and I knew they could do some things,” he said. “We have four seniors, but 11 guys are coming back. There’s some momentum and everyone can see that these guys can play some basketball.”

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 — One bad inning for Los Fresnos was the difference against Sharyland High.

The Falcons struggled on the mound and on defense and allowed seven runs during the third inning, but had a chance in their last at-bat. That rally fell short as the Rattlers held on for a 9-6 victory in the championship game of the Port Isabel/Los Fresnos baseball tournament Saturday.

“They put the ball in play and we walked a couple guys … they hit the ball when they had to,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “They came up with some clutch hits. That ended up being a big inning and their approach at the plate was very good.

“That opened up the game.”

Los Fresnos (3-1) trailed 9-2 in the seventh inning and sent four runs across the plate after a three-run home run by Cristian Hernandez and an RBI single by Victor Loa. With two outs, the Falcons loaded the bases, but a fly out ended their rally as Sharyland High (5-0) remained unbeaten to start the season and took home the title of the annual baseball tournament.

“That’s all you can ask for,” Morales said. “We had a chance to win at the end, a couple clutch hits and that’s what we’re looking for and hopefully we can do the same thing in district when district comes around. If we get in a situation like that, the kids already know how to act and we’ll go from there.”

Hernandez gave Los Fresnos the first lead of the game, 1-0, in the second inning with an RBI single to center.

The Rattlers got it going in the third inning. They drew five walks and had three hits, including a two-run double by Lalo Salinas and an RBI double by Pepe Contreras and took advantage of a few errors to score seven runs and take a 7-1 edge and knocked out Falcons’ starter Hugo Sanchez in the process.

Sanchez was roughed up in 2 1/3 innings, allowed five runs on two hits, walked four and struck out two in a loss.

“The way we play, we’re trying to get on base anyway we can and take strikes,” Sharyland High coach Barton Bickerton said. “Once the kid gets in a little bit of trouble on the mound, that’s the way we like to play … we came up with some big hits when we needed to.”

Los Fresnos got one back in the bottom of the third after back-to-back doubles by George Villafranca and Joseph Munoz as Villafranca scored to cut the deficit to 7-2.

The Falcons’ pitching continued to struggle in the fifth inning as the Rattlers scored two more runs via wild pitches to extend the lead to 9-2.

Los Fresnos rallied in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as Sharyland High held on for the victory.

The Rattlers starter Ivan Alvarez kept the Falcons off-balanced through 6 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs on five hits, walked three, struck out six and hit a batsman to earn the win.

“Due to the weather, we wanted to throw the lefties in and the righties away and (Ivan) performed perfectly,” Bickerton said. “He struggled with fastballs up, but he made a correction and kept the ball down and kept them off-balanced.”

Bickerton said one of his team’s goals was to win one of the three tournaments to start the season. Mission accomplished.

“We really just wanted to get at-bats and if we won the thing, then great,” he said. “They’ve showed a lot of improvement since the scrimmages. Los Fresnos is a really good team … we got lucky and jumped on them early and that was a good thing. We haven’t played anyone as good, so this really helped us.”

Contreras had three hits, including an RBI double, reached on an error and scored a run for Sharyland High.

Hernandez was 2 for 2, a home run, a pair of walks, a run scored and four RBIs for the Falcons.

Los Fresnos was dealt its first loss of the year because jit struggled in a few areas. Morales wasn’t worried, especially against a talented team like Sharyland High, but knows his team has work to do.

“I told them we have to get better every day,” he said. “Everyone has something to work on this weekend and we’ll go from there. I told them I was proud of them and we have to be ready to go back to work on Monday.”

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

ROMA — It was an all-too-familiar ending for Los Fresnos in its area round game against Alexander (Laredo).

The Falcons held a lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs tied it in the final seconds to force overtime and used that momentum to propel to a 80-77 victory in a Class 6A area round boys basketball game Friday.

Los Fresnos took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Alexander outscored the Falcons 27-19 and needed a bucket from Kike Perez with 7.1 seconds left in regulation to force the extra time. Los Fresnos had a chance to win it as Gabriel Martinez tried a long 3, but it bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

“The momentum changed when two of my starters fouled out,” Los Fresnos coach Marco Hinojosa said. “I’m not try to make excuses, but when I don’t have two starters and they have all their starters on the floor, it makes a huge difference. The kids fought hard, gave it all they had … they competed and that’s all I can ask for.”

The Bulldogs seized the moment and took advantage at the foul line as both teams were in the double bonus. Alexander hit 8 of 10 from the charity stripe in overtime as Marco Peña scored seven points, including 5 of 6 from the line to help seal the victory. The Falcons kept it close, getting six points from Martinez, including a 3-pointer in overtime, but couldn’t complete the comeback after trailing by six points at one point in the extra quarter.

“We went into a trapping defense and I was a little scared because of the way (Los Fresnos) shoots 3s,” Alexander coach Luis Valdez said of the way his team turned the tide in the fourth and in overtime. “That created some turnovers … that got us going in transition and we made our free throws at the end. (Los Fresnos) is a helluva team.

“Our whole team has been shooting free throws well the whole season.”

Los Fresnos, who won its fourth straight District 32-6A title and advanced to the area round each season, but saw its season end where it has the last three years and finished 31-7. Alexander (31-6) will now move on to the regional quarterfinals.

The Falcons led throughout the first half and kept that edge at two at the break. They pushed the advantage to eight by the end of the third quarter as Andrew Carrizales scored 15 of the team’s 16 points in the third, including three 3-pointers and seemed to give Los Fresnos the boost it needed throughout the tight game.

The Bulldogs slowly chipped away at the deficit in the fourth as Peña and Creston Jackson each got key buckets down the stretch. Unfortunately the Falcons had a couple starters foul out which turned out to be key in the last couple of minutes. Los Fresnos nearly overcame those absences as it took a 65-64 lead on a 3 by Martinez and Elian Gonzalez hit a free throw to extend the lead to two, but Perez answered for Alexander with a bucket to tie it up and shift the momentum ahead of overtime.

Valdez said his team has been in similar situations throughout the season, so even when they’re trailing there was no panic.

“The kids believing in the program and in the system,” he said. “Throughout our district race we had several games like that in overtime and had to come back, so the kids are used to that. When we were down 11, we told the kids to keep believing and they did.”

Peña finished with 26 points and three rebounds, Perez had 17 points and four rebounds and Ramiro Ortiz added 13 points and eight boards for the Bulldogs.

Carrizales finished with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, Jordan Urbina had 16 points and eight rebounds before fouling out and Martinez added 16 points, three rebounds and three steals for the Falcons.

“It’s a special group,” Hinojosa said of his senior class that includes Carrizales, Urbina and Martinez. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs just like any family, but at the end of the day we’re there for each other. I’m going to miss this group. They are very special to me in my heart; they know that I’m always a phone call away. I’ll be there for them.”

It was a devastating loss for Los Fresnos who had looked to get over that proverbial hump. But don’t count the Falcons out next year.

“The kids know they win with class and lose with class and you move on,” Hinojosa said. “But I’m here for them. I love them and anytime they need anything, I’ll be there for them. We’ve got big shoes to fill, obviously. The young kids can play, but we’re going to be a young ball club.

“People probably don’t think we’re going to do much, but we’re going to make some noise next year.”

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.