By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Los Fresnos is back in the area round. But this time, the Falcons are more focused and ready.
Los Fresnos face San Antonio Southwest in a best-of-three area round series that begins at 7:30 p.m. tonight with Game 1 in Alice. Game 2 (and Game 3, if necessary) begins at 2 p.m. Saturday.
“They’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said of his team. “They want to keep playing, they don’t want the season to end yet. That’s been our rally cry towards the end of the season.”
The Falcons (22-3), the District 32-6A champion, defeated Edinburg Economedes in a one-game bi-district playoff game. The Dragons (22-7), which finished second in District 29-6A, downed La Joya Palmview 2-1 in a bi-district series after dropping Game 1.
Last season, Los Fresnos lost to Laredo Alexander in an area round series and it vowed to return this year. This season’s squad has played even better together.
“We click together well,” senior second baseman Abel Rodriguez, said. “The difference is I think we believe in each other more.
“We play as one.”
The Falcons have a been there, done that attitude and learned from their mistakes a year ago.
“I think we are better, well prepared,” Morales said. “Last year we were so close to advancing. They want to get to the third round or possibly further.”
The Dragons are much approved from last year. Southwest missed the playoffs a season ago, but returned nearly every starter.
The Dragons started this season 10-0 and have won 4 of their last 5, including a pair in the opening playoff round.
Los Fresnos has won 10 straight, including its victory in the bi-district round. The Falcons are playing with a lot of confidence since clinching the District 32-6A crown.
“Even though it’s a big (series), we go there with the same confidence that we’ve been playing with throughout the whole season,” senior shortstop Miguel Gonzalez said. “We’re taking it one game at a time and seeing where that goes. Being district champs boosted us a lot, with that confidence we’re out here trying to compete with that same mentality … we want to keep winning.”
That chemistry has shown late in the season and during the Falcons win streak.
“We’re playing together more than ever,” Rodriguez said. “(After winning district) it brought us together even more than we ever thought.”
Morales feels both teams are evenly matched and the series could come down to a couple plays.
“They play sound baseball,” the Los Fresnos coach said about Southwest. “They do the small things, the little things to win the game. We have to execute and do the things we’ve down all season long. The team that makes one or two plays is going to win the game (tonight and probably the series).”
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.