By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE – The 20-mph wind gusts at Brownsville Hanna were enough to push several sky-high pop-ups behind the backstop and out of play Tuesday night, but Harlingen High had a simple solution – hit the ball on the ground.
The Cardinals (2-0 32-6A) cruised to a 15-0 win in five innings, spraying their 11 hits all over the field.
“We just try to put the ball in play, that’s the key,” Harlingen High coach Armando Rangel said. “With the wind the way it was today, we just try to put the ball on the ground. The odds of getting on base when you put it on the ground skyrocket in high school baseball.”
Harlingen High chased Hanna starter Marco Martinez after a seven-run first inning. Derek Alvarado was the first of three Hanna relief pitchers that followed Martinez.
Cardinals starting pitcher John Ortega threw three innings in the win, walking one and striking out five. Nate Ibarra and John Kellogg combined for two innings in relief, striking out three and allowing the only Hanna hit of the ballgame to catcher Marco Sanchez in the fourth.
“Ortega’s our ace but he was in basketball, but we’re working him until he’s on,” Rangel said. “So little by little, we’re working him. He had a good outing today, and he should be ready next Tuesday.”
Shortstop Thomas Lyssy hit a blooper into shallow left field to drive in one run to spark an eight-run third-inning rally. Lyssy (3-for-4, one run scored) and left fielder Abraham Ibarra (3-for 4, one run scored) led the way for the Cardinals.
Rangel said his team has been learning how to battle through the ups and downs throughout a season, and applying lessons learned in tournament and non-district play.
“They’re learning how to compete and back each other up,” Rangel said. “That’s what we have right now, guys who believe in each other and are backing each other up. Through this long season, that’s what it takes.”