By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Justin Anaya made sure starting pitcher Sammy Chapa’s gem wasn’t wasted against Pace.
Chapa needed a little help to finish and Anaya got the final three outs and a save for as the Chargers held on for a 2-1 victory over the Vikings in the District 32-5A opener for both teams Tuesday at Pace.
“It feels good, it’s a good start,” Chapa said. “I was comfortable up there, I trust my defense behind me.
“We held the rope.”
Chapa was referring to a team motto that everyone must hold onto the rope. If one lets go, everyone falls.
That held true against Pace in the bottom of the seventh inning as Chapa held a 2-0 lead and looked for a possible shutout. But he gave up three singles to load the bases and Brownsville Veterans brought in Anaya in relief.
Anaya got a strikeout, gave up a sacrifice fly to Angel Lopez to cut the deficit in half, but got the next batter to pop out to end the intense district game. Chapa earned the win as Brownsville Veterans begins District 32-5A, 1-0. Pace (0-1) starts district play off with a loss, but had its chances throughout.
“(Sammy) threw 90 plus pitches, he kept us in the game and showed us he can be a leader and took us a long way,” Brownsville Veterans coach Albert Rodriguez said. “He told me, ‘Coach, I’m going to take it all the way.’ Luckily, Justin came in and did a great job for us too.”
After a scoreless first inning, Brownsville Veterans got on the board first in the top of the second inning after Aaron Recio drew a bases loaded walk and Mike Mendoza followed with a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead off Pace’s starting pitcher Chris Rodriguez.
Mendoza finished 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and an RBI that proved to be the game winner.
The two runs were enough for Chapa until the final inning. He pitched six innings, allowed one run on five hits, walked five and struck out six.
But he got help along the way from his defense. Chapa got out of a jam in the fourth inning with runners on second and third after shortstop Anaya made a play in the hole to rob Pace of a base hit and possibly a run or two. Brownsville Veterans’ Josh Alaniz made a few plays in center field to prevent scoring chances and Anaya turned a double play in the sixth inning to quell another Vikings rally.
Chris Rodriguez did what he could on the mound, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walked five, struck out four and hit a batsman for the Vikings.
But Pace didn’t help itself with baserunning mistakes and errors on defense that proved to be the difference in the close game.
“That’s where our inexperience comes in,” Pace coach Roy Rodriguez said. “But I like what we’re doing with these kids. We’re only going to get better.”
“It could have gone either way at the end. I’m proud of the kids, we kept fighting. We’re going to keep working on the positives and keep moving forward.”
For Albert Rodriguez, it was a great start to district in his first season at the helm for Brownsville Veterans.
“It feels awesome, I can’t explain it, but I won’t forget this,” he said. “Overall, we had solid D and that’s what I preached to the kids. We have to have that and clutch hitting (to win games).”
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.