DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
SAN JUAN — Three errors produced runs. A bad bunt toward third base dismissed a runner in scoring position. Blown opportunities, like the bases loaded with one out, were far too plenty.
Youth finally got the best of PSJA High on Friday night as the Bears fell to Corpus Christi Moody 6-0 in their Class 5A area playoff at Cain Field. With a starting lineup consisting of two freshmen, a sophomore and just three seniors, PSJA High committed four errors and stranded 11 runners — six in scoring position — to give the Trojans all the help they’d need in advancing to the third round.
The Bears finished the season 21-9 and looked nothing like the upstart ballclub that had surprised many en route to District 32-5A and bi-district championships.
“There were jitters,” Bears coach Marco Guajardo said. “I had some of the young guys come up and tell me they were nervous. It’s a big crowd. It’s Moody. But this is what it’s about. We’re going to play in a lot of games like this, hopefully, in the future.”
Three of the Bears’ errors were by freshmen. Three of the Trojans’ runs were unearned.
“We got the defense moving, whether it was hit-and-runs or drag bunts,” Moody coach Joe Curiel said. “Whatever it takes. We had to put pressure on them. They made the miscues, and we capitalized.”
The Bears were as tight offensively as they were defensively. Every inning, PSJA High stranded at least one runner in scoring position. The Bears had no trouble getting on base, but had headaches bringing runners home.
Marcus Cantu (9-2) pitched a complete game for the win, but Moody’s ace wasn’t dominant. Cantu struck out four, walked five and surrendered five hits. Still, he finished innings, mostly by delivering an in-and-out cutter that left Bears hitters frustrated.
“We did too many uncharacteristic things, whether it was all the errors or leaving guys on base,” Guajardo said. “You can’t do that against a team like this. I hope it’s a learning experience to my young guys.”
Senior Andrew Castaneda threw a complete game for the Bears, striking out six and walking five. He allowed eight hits in his career finale.
“Andrew pitched good enough and he kept us in it,” Guajardo said. “He was doing well, and it wasn’t his fault. We made mistakes and we didn’t come up with the big hits.”
Curiel knew little else about the Bears other than they were a good hitting team. He said he could tell by their swings.
And while it seemed like the senior-laden Trojans (22-5) went by the book in regard to how to take advantage of a young team in a big game, Curiel said his team wasn’t concerned about PSJA High.
It was concentrating on “playing the game.”
“We don’t consider that team young,” Curiel said. “In the playoffs, everybody’s hungry, especially when you play Moody High School. Everybody’s going to come out with their best. We were going to put pressure on them. A one-game series, it’s all or nothing.
“We have confidence that our guys will come out here and play the game. We played hard, Marcus was throwing strikes and our defense made the fundamental plays.”