By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Just like the first district game, Hanna and Brownsville Veterans Memorial played an intense, tight contest.
Only this time, it was the Golden Eagles that ended on top. Hanna scored four runs on five consecutive singles in the fifth inning and handed Brownsville Veterans its first district loss with a 4-1 win in District 32-6A baseball action Tuesday at Hanna.
“We woke up and got some timely hits, and that’s what’s hurt us all year,” Hanna coach Eddie Garcia said. “They came at the right time and it was just a matter of time. I’m glad it happened (Tuesday) against the best team in the district.”
Hanna (6-4 in District 32-6A) trailed by a run until it erased the deficit with a barrage of hits in the fifth inning.
With one on and one out, Raul Perez singled to put a pair of runners on and Michael Gomez followed with an RBI-single to tie the game at 1. Jonathan Castro followed with a two-run single to score Perez and Gomez.
After Israel Lambarri hit a single to right past a diving second baseman, Cristian Gonzalez followed with an infield single that scored Castro to give the Eagles a 4-1 advantage over the Chargers (9-1).
“We needed to do something different,” Garcia said. “(The team) came out to play (Tuesday). (Brownsville Veterans) is a good team, we gave them a run in the beginning, but we knew we needed to score to win against these guys. We knew we could, it was just a matter of doing it.”
Brownsville Veterans got on the board in the top of the first inning.
The Chargers’ David Anaya hit a two-out single and then stole second base. The next batter, Jorge Montelongo, drew a walk. Alonzo tried to hold Montelongo close, but an errant pickoff throw skipped away and allowed Anaya to score to give Brownsville Veterans a 1-0 lead. But that would be all the Chargers would get.
“I just think it was momentum,” Brownsville Veterans coach Eric Gonzalez said. “They gained it and all the sudden they were getting louder. It was just momentum, they weren’t hitting the ball really hard, but they found the spots and the balls got through.
“We let them off the hook when we were up. I kept telling the guys we can’t let them hang around and we did. They came out fired up, trying to beat us and they did.”
The big inning helped make a winner out of Hanna pitcher Lee Alonzo. The righty went the distance, allowing a run and scattered six hits, walked three and struck out two. After a tough first inning, Alonzo settled down and shut down the Chargers the rest of the way.
“I just think he had the desire to compete,” Garcia said of his starting pitcher. “He knew he was going up against the best and whenever you want to test yourself, you test yourself against the best. … He realized he messed up, but it’s a seven-inning ball game and we have to come back and regroup.
“He’s not very overpowering, but if he hits his spots and mixes it up, he’s going to be tough to beat.”
Noe Solis took the loss after lasting 4 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits, walked just one and struck out one for the Chargers.
Brownsville Veterans didn’t find enough offense against Hanna.
“We weren’t able to find the holes. Their outfielders made some plays and we weren’t able to get the hits,” Gonzalez said. “If we get one or two of those hits, it’s a different ball game, but it’s woulda, coulda, shoulda. They played well … you tip your hat and tell them good job.”
The win ended a losing streak for the Eagles because they played better defense.
“Much needed,” Garcia said. “I’m real proud of these guys. We were second-guessing ourselves, our confidence was down. That was the key; we have to play solid D. If we play solid D, get timely hits, we can play with anybody.”
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.