By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Los Fresnos won a 7-6 marathon game with Harlingen High on Friday that lasted 12 innings and ended nearly five hours after it started.
The game took its toll on everyone, especially the coaches.
“I think I aged about 10 years (during that game),” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said after the extra-long district game.
It started out in the Cardinals’ favor as they took a 5-0 lead after two innings. The Falcons cut the deficit with a three-run fourth inning, but still trailed late.
Harlingen High added a run in the sixth inning for a 6-3 lead. A scary moment happened later in the inning as Los Fresnos catcher Nate Reyna collided with a Cardinals base runner and had to exit via an ambulance.
But the Falcons rallied with three runs and tied the game in the bottom half of the frame. The teams would go on to play five scoreless innings before Los Fresnos prevailed in the bottom half of the 12th on a RBI single by Miguel Gonzalez.
The victory did a couple things. It kept the Falcons (9-2) right behind Brownsville Veterans Memorial (10-1) in the District 32-6A standings and was the fourth win in five games for Los Fresnos.
The other was that the Falcons believe in themselves. They’ve even used the word “Believe” as a mantra for the team during the last several weeks and run toward the postseason.
“Our confidence is up right now,” Morales said. “Battling with these guys, they were on a role. They beat two great teams in San Benito and Hanna, so they’re tough to beat.
“We just happened to be on the right side of the scoreboard. And that’s good for us.”
WEATHER DELAYS
Three games were delayed Tuesday after the teams playing host weren’t able to get the fields ready after heavy rains on Monday.
In District 32-6A action, Rivera was set to play Los Fresnos at home and Hanna was playing host to Harlingen South, but neither the Raiders nor Golden Eagles’ fields dried out enough and the games were pushed to Wednesday night.
The Falcons and Eagles (6-4, fourth in district) are both in the postseason hunt and trying to close in on a playoff berth.
In District 32-5A, Porter was set to travel to Pace for its second game between the two teams. The game was moved to Porter, but umpires determined the field was unplayable due to certain field conditions, on of the issues was some remaining water still in the outfield.
The Cowboys (4-5 in district) and Vikings (4-5) were slated to play last night at Porter as both teams are in fifth place and are chasing the fourth playoff spot.
FOR THE CROWN
If the Falcons were able to defeat Rivera on Wednesday night, Los Fresnos would be just one game behind Brownsville Veterans in the standings and play host to the Chargers on Friday night with a shot to share the district crown.
Brownsville Veterans earned a 3-0 road shut out of Harlingen High on Tuesday.
The Falcons had a 2-1 lead headed to the seventh inning against Brownsville Veterans in the first game, only to see the Chargers produce two runs and walk off with the victory at home.
With a win, Los Fresnos can earn a share of the district title, but a loss to the Chargers means Brownsville Veterans earns its second consecutive district title outright.
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.