By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Rivera has started the District 32-6A season without a win in two games, but that is of little concern for the Raiders thus far.
“We’re very young, and it shows in moments,” Rivera coach Travis Parker said. “We have moments of brilliance and then we don’t … but we have 14 district fights (this season), we’re two in and 12 to go. We’re very positive as far as the first two.”
The Raiders played a nine-inning affair against Harlingen High and hung with Brownsville Veterans Memorial — the defending district champion — for about four innings before the Chargers’ offense took advantage of some Rivera mistakes.
“They’re a great team. We competed well, I’m very proud of my guys,” Parker said after Tuesday’s game with the Chargers. “That bodes well for the rest of the season. I think we match up with everyone well, our pitching starting to come along.”
The Raiders coach said his team has to fix small mistakes that cause one or two bad innings. Those rough frames have paved the way to two district losses and a couple others in the preseason. But once those issues are fixed, Parker sees his team able to compete in every ballgame they play.
“We have to be able to handle that adversity, that pressure of the game,” Parker said. “I think once we do that and relax a little bit and show who we truly are, I think we’re going to be OK.”
ONE FAULT
Brownsville Veterans hasn’t shown many flaws this season.
The offense has scored 17 runs in two district games and the pitching hasn’t allowed a run after back-to-back shutouts. But the Chargers (2-0 in District 32-6A) have one thing that needs work: base running.
Brownsville Veterans coach Eric Gonzalez said he is happy with the way the team has hit the ball and what his hurlers have done on the mound so far.
But he isn’t happy with some errors the Chargers have committed on the base paths, including getting picked off by the opposing pitcher and missed signs.
“I’m still addressing our base running,” Gonzalez said. “We made two or three mistakes that in another game might hurt us. So every day we’re working to get better.”
ANOTHER HONOR
Brownsville Veterans’ Fred Villarreal opened district play by throwing a gem, a no-hitter while striking out 15 in an 8-0 complete game victory against Harlingen South.
Now the senior pitcher is receiving another accolade for his feat. The Texas High School Baseball website named Villarreal its 6A Diamond Pro Pitcher of the Week.
Villarreal was the an honorable mention the week prior after throwing a perfect game over five innings with eight strikeouts during a tournament game the Chargers won by the mercy rule.
GOOD STARTS
Los Fresnos is quietly winning a lot of games.
The Falcons are currently enjoying a 10-game winning streak, including a 2-0 start to their District 32-6A slate.
Los Fresnos hasn’t lost in nearly a month. Its last setback came in the second game of the tournament it co-hosts with Port Isabel. The Falcons lost to Edinburg Economedes, which finished runner-up in that tournament to eventually champion Port Isabel.
In District 32-5A, Porter has started 3-0 in district play.
The Cowboys, the defending district champions, are off to a hot start with a potent offense and even better pitching. Porter has scored 26 runs in district thus far and its pitching staff has allowed just three runs.
Port Isabel is also unbeaten in District 32-4A play.
The Tarpons are 2-0 after a pair of close games. Port Isabel topped Zapata 7-5 to open its district schedule and shut out Rio Hondo 2-0 on the road.
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.