DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Roma sophomore ace Jon Michael Roberson wasn’t dominant Thursday night, and neither was the Gladiators’ offense. But the defense was, and that was the primary culprit behind a 2-0 win over Mission Veterans Memorial in Game 1 of their Class 5A regional quarterfinal series at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
Roberson only struck out two, but placed the ball where he needed it for a complete game shutout. Fifteen of Mission Vets’ 21 outs came on the ground, and only four hits left the infield.
It was Roma’s first win this season against its District 31-5A rival. Mission Vets swept the regular season series by a combined score of 5-1.
“I learned they can hit the ball, they can make contact,” said Roberson, who pitched both of the regular season meetings. “They showed that tonight. But solid defense kept us in the game. I didn’t dominate, but my defense played big. They’re the reason we won this game.”
The Gladiators (13-13) did nothing different, Roma coach Roque Cortinas said, than its first two meetings against Mission Vets (24-8). But confidence is up, and that’s big.
“This is a new season,” Cortinas said. “Anything that happens in the past, you can’t reflect on it. You have to move forward, and we’re doing alright.”
Roberson threw more outside pitches Thursday, knowing Mission Vets’ hitters preferred inside deliveries.
“Most of those guys tonight were pulling the ball to the shortstop and third,” Roberson said. “That’s what helped us out. We know exactly what type of hitters they are.”
It made for a laborious evening for Roma infielders Alex Mascorro, Juan Salinas and Alex Garza, but they got the job done.
“We hit the ball right at them all night long,” Mission Vets coach Casey Smith said. “Give them credit. They made every defensive play they had to. Every time the ball was on the ground, they made the play.”
Offensively, all the damage was done during the third inning when Mascorro laced a two-out, two-run double that caressed the third base line deep to left field.
“He started off with a ball and then he threw me another ball,” Mascorro said of the at-bat. “I was thinking he’d throw the next pitch right down the middle to get a strike. I swung and it came.”
The teams combined for 10 hits. Roberson allowed four hits and walked one. Mission Vets senior Edward Peña surrendered six hits and struck out four, but walked four.
The Patriots’ best chance at scoring came during the sixth inning with two outs and a runner on second. But Roma leftfielder Angel Gomez made a spectacular sliding dive for a catch in deep left-center for the final out.
“We’ve been peaking late in the year and that just gives us confidence,” Cortinas said. “Everything comes off our pitching and our defense. That’s what gets us going.”
The Gladiators are beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Cortinas’ 11 years at the helm, and they’re in the regional quarters for the first time in program history.
One more win adds to that storybook, and it won’t come easily, Cortinas warned. The Patriots, beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time in program history, rallied from a 1-0 series deficit last weekend to win two straight during the area round against Gregory-Portland.
“The first thing we told these kids is we can’t get too high,” Cortinas said. “We have another game to win. Mission Vets is a team that came from behind the last series and won, so we have to be cautious of that.
“This is a young team that can get overly excited, but we just have to keep them grounded.”