By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville Veterans Memorial is off to a strong start in District 32-5A.
The Chargers (10-4-2, 1-0 32-5A) defeated rival Brownsville Pace 9-1 in their district opener Monday night at Pace, thanks to timely hitting and a strong outing from starting pitcher Rafael Capistran, who struck out six Pace hitters and surrendered one unearned run on three hits, walking two in five innings of work.
Chargers coach Albert Rodriguez felt his team had room for improvement after the win, but he praised Capistran’s effort on the mound.
“He did have a couple miscues with his offspeed pitches,” Rodriguez said. “But as he started warming up and got better in the later innings, he started controlling the off-speed pitches. Hats off to him for having a great game, I know he’s had a couple of bad outings. But he’s regrouped and he’s back to 100 percent healthy, and that was the main issue, staying healthy.”
Brownsville Veterans scored four runs during the second inning, three in the sixth and two in the seventh on eight hits. The Chargers drew six walks, two of which turned into runs.
Second baseman Jesus Carr (two singles, two runs scored and two RBIs) and catcher Heriberto Maldonado (2-for-3, one RBI) led the way for Brownsville Veterans at the plate.
“That’s the best team in the district,” Pace coach Roy Rodriguez said. “When you play a team that’s very good like them, there’s no room for mistakes. You’ve got to bring your ‘A’ game. You can’t make any errors. You can’t walk people. But we gave them all we could handle. We gave them a game for half a game. And I’m proud of the kids.”
The Vikings (5-6, 0-1 32-5A) got baserunners on base early and often, but stranded a runner on third during the second inning and squandered first and third opportunities in the fifth and in the sixth, though Brownsville Pace eventually got on the board in the sixth inning after Capistran’s pickoff attempt eluded first baseman Ruben Gallegos, scoring second baseman Isaiah Mesa.
Brownsville Pace did not record an extra base hit until the sixth, when third baseman John Moody led off with a double. Reliever Justin Anaya walked the next batter and then induced a harmless flyout to Augustine Garcia to end the inning.
Vikings starter Jose Banda allowed five earned runs on five hits, striking out six Chargers and walking two in 5 2/3 innings.
During the sixth, Brownsville Veterans Memorial left fielder Brandon Betancourt drove in a run with a triple down the right field line to bring the lead to 5-1. Capistran stroked a single to tack on an additional insurance run, widening the margin to 6-1.
“This is going to bring us good momentum to come into the rest of the season,” said first baseman Ruben Gallegos, who went 2-for-4 and scored a run. “To keep going through practices, keep practicing strong and moving together. So as a team, we’re going to come out kicking for the rest of the season.”