Region IV championship: Sinton Pirates (28-4-2) vs Robstown Cotton Pickers (23-9-1)

[SintonFan_inAustin]

District 31 rematch for a trip to state tourney.

early reports so far has it a 3 game series at Cabaniss on Thu 7pm and Fri 7 pn. if a 3rd game is needed and Whataburger field is available that game will be played Saturday.


Both teams won their district matchup at home, Robstown winning 1-0 and Sinton winning 7-2.

Sinton rotation setup if it stays intact Brett Brown would start game 1 and Jordan Martinez game 2 and if needed a 3rd game Mason Hopkins.

Have to relook the stats but I think it sits in this baseball matchup history Sinton 10 wins Robstown 9 wins

Sinton finished as the district champion and Robstown district runner up

Both playing their best baseball going into June baseball!

Packed house expected!!

[Scoop27]

Since Sealy is out of it-Sinton will win

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Playoffs: Hopkins (3-0, 6H 19K), Martinez (3-0, 19H 21K), Brown (2-1, 4H, 27K).

Brown and Hopkins with a 0.00 era so far in the playoffs. Brown gave up 3 unearned runs in the only loss for Sinton so far. Hopkins 6 shut outs in a row was broken up when a unearn run scored last game against Boerne.

Brown didnt get to pitch last series so most likely he'll start this one.

[Rocket Man]

I'm going strictly by which team has the coolest mascot: Cotton Pickers win.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/18765827_1310806542321362_5049524926413855036_n.jp g?oh=f7a3c9fda6f3ba36284a2edff7061277&oe=59E5568A


Saw this on Robstown facebook page lol

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Corpus Christi Caller Times breakdown of the region final: http://www.caller.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/05/31/series-breakdown-sinton-vs-robstown/358319001/

ROBSTOWN VS. SINTON

Records: Robstown 25-9-1, Sinton 28-4-2

Series Schedule

All games at Cabaniss Baseball Field

Game 1: 7 p.m. Thursday

Game 2: 7 p.m. Friday

Game 3 (if necessary): 4 p.m. Saturday


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Robstown

SS Jessie Gonzalez, Jr.

Gonzalez leads the team with a .442 batting average,

scored three runs and is 11 of 16 in stolen bases this

season.

IF/P Austin Kwiatkowski, Jr.

Kwiatkowski has been one of the Cotton Pickers most

consistent hitters this season with a .381 average, 25

RBI and 31 runs. He’s also 21 of 21 in stolen bases.

OF/P Victor Moreno, Jr.

Moreno is 6-0-1 this season with a 2.84 earned-run

average and earned one of his two saves in a Game 3

victory against Sealy last week.


Sinton

IF/P Jordan Martinez, Sr.

Martinez is hitting .462 this season with a team-best 33

RBI and scored 33 runs. He’s also 8-1 as a pitcher with a

1.41 ERA.

IF/P Brett Brown, So.

Brown is 9-1 this season with a 0.85 ERA on the mound and

is hitting .406.

OF/P Mason Hopkins, Jr.

Hopkins has a 10-0 record on the mound with a 0.22

earned-run average.


X FACTORS

Weather

The last time these two teams played in the postseason,

the series was contested in Pharr because of coming

inclement weather. Officials from both schools have

agreed on Jourdanton as an alternate site if Cabaniss is

unplayable.

Managing pitch counts

Like Ray and Moody, both squads have done a solid job of

building depth in their pitching staff for the playoffs.

Sinton may have an edge but the Cotton Pickers did beat

ace Jordan Martinez and Sinton 1-0 in the first district

meeting of the year.

Small ball

Neither team is a team that will score runs in bunches as

both like to move station to station to get the runs

needed. Execution of small ball will be critical for each

team’s success in this series.


How Robstown wins

By scoring early in the game to put some pressure on

Sinton’s offense. Robstown can put pressure on Sinton’s

defense but what helped them win the first district

meeting was scoring a run and forcing Jordan Martinez to

throw from behind.


How Sinton wins

A similar way to Robstown by scoring a run or two early

and forcing Robstown’s pitching staff to throw strikes.

Sinton’s pitching depth has not been tested yet in the

postseason but could be this weekend.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

SINTON-ROBSTOWN VENUE CHANGE: Gm 1: Tonight, 7 pm @ Jourdanton

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

For the love of baseball
David Sikes , Corpus Christi Caller-Times 7:35 a.m. CT June 1, 2017 http://www.caller.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/06/01/love-baseball/102310832/
Baseball woven into fabric of Robstown and Sinton


High schools don't have the luxury of recruiting star athletes.

So they rely on organically building excitement through winning traditions, hoping a love for the game will nurture home-grown champions. This plan has worked well for generations in Robstown and Sinton, where baseball is woven into the tapestries of each town where high expectations and success define their baseball programs.

Robstown and Sinton high schools have fertilized the baseball cultures in these communities to generate an almost reverent atmosphere that regularly carries the Pickers and Pirates into post-season play.

The District 31-4A rivals are set to compete Thursday in Game 1 of the Region IV-4A finals.

Both dynasties enjoyed long stretches of time with legendary coaches, who helped rally residents of each community into a loyal and cohesive fan base.

Sinton's former longtime coach, Gene Kasprzyk, who took the Pirates to three state championship in 1988, 1989, and 2002, described Sinton as a baseball town, with residents who expect excellence. He said in 2015 that Sinton fans are loyal, serious and knowledgeable about the game.

Sinton's current coach Adrian Alaniz said this remains true, which helps boost team moral, while showing prospective players how to gain favor with the community through baseball. This atmosphere also helps to field players with a winning attitude, he said.

"We may not get the biggest, strongest or fastest kids," Alaniz said. "But we get players with the hearts of champions and the passion to play hard. A Sinton baseball cap is a prized possession for kids in this community. And years later, they're still wearing them to games."

Sinton's ballpark holds 2,000-2,500 fans. Seating is nearly full for most games, and packed to capacity for important games or ones against rivals, he said.

"Our fans don't just come out to eat popcorn and watch the game," Alaniz said. "They're very vocal and they let the umpires know how they feel about calls. It's really pretty cool to see their passion. And you know the players notice the support."

Rita Alaniz (no relation), president of the Sinton Sports Booster Club, said baseball fans put their money where their love is in 2009 when they helped pass a $7.5 million bond, which included revamping the district's football and baseball facilities.

A big part of Sinton's fan support starts with the local Little League system, Rita Alaniz said. It helps that many of today's players have dads and brothers who played for Sinton and still work with Little League or the school's softball program, she added.

"All those kids coming up through the system can't wait to hit the big field," said Rita Alaniz, a Sinton alum with a brother who played for Kasprzyk. "When the Little League players aren't playing themselves, they come to watch the high school games. Those state championship and state tournament signs in center field are hard to miss. They all want to be part of the teams that make it to Austin. Baseball is part of family life in Sinton."

In 2009, Sinton and Robstown played for the first time, according to Pirates historian and former player Raymond Serna. Both sides of the stadium were packed with fans, eager for a rivalry, the Sinton super-fan said.

"The teams always seem to match up well," Serna said. "We know if we don't play our best game we're not going to win. We could make a few mistakes and still win against other teams, but not Robstown. They really raised the level of competition in our district."

In terms of Cotton Picker baseball, no figure looms larger than the late Steve Castro, who died suddenly in 2015. The native son coached at Robstown from 1975 to 2010, bringing home state championships in 1991 and 1992.

During his tenure, Castro turned Robstown into a state power. All three current Robstown baseball coaches played during Castro's reign, which many say speaks volumes about the community loyalty he instilled in his players and the pride he built into the program.

Unlike in Sinton, where baseball comes close to rivaling football as a favorite sport, baseball is the undisputed king in Robstown. A sea of red floods Cotton Picker Baseball Field during every game, which turned into a community event and reunion of former players and alumni.

"I remember going to class in the early '90s and seeing people sitting outside, waiting in line for tickets to baseball games," said Tanya Olmeda, a 1992 Robstown graduate who now serves as high school counselor with a son on the baseball team. "It didn't even have to be a playoff game. It's always been that way."

Olmeda said the level of community pride permeates every aspect of small-town life, including local businesses, transcending all demographics. Grandparents, small children, students, parents, even fans with no connection to the school come to support Cotton Picker baseball, she said.

"When my brother played, the whole family went to every games," Olmeda said. "I used to get hoarse from cheering. I still do. I'm still a little hoarse from last week."

Even elderly fans who need assistance to reach their seats come with stadium chairs and umbrellas, even walkers to show support for the team, said Robstown principal Sylvia Romero, who said she's already made hotel reservations in anticipation of Robstown going to the state tournament in Austin.

"The excitement is contagious," Romero said. "My mother is 85 and she still comes to games. Everybody wants to support the team. It's not just school spirit, it's the whole district, the whole community rallies around the Cotton Pickers."

Elias Vasquez, Robstown's co-head coach and a former player, believes his game-day experiences as a child are typical of Cotton Picker fan indoctrination. He's fairly certain the process is similar in Sinton.

"There's just so much baseball heritage down here in South Texas," Vasquez said. "Within a 35- to 50-mile radius there's probably 20 state championships. That breeds loyal faithful fans.

"When I was in junior high, my dad took me to a playoff game in New Braunfels. I was so in awe of what I saw. When kids see that cheering sea of red they can't help but want to be a part of it. I know I did. That's why kids start playing at 4 or 5. It's like a religion. In Robstown, baseball is a year-round sport. I mean, fans book their vacations around state tournaments, because they just believe we're going to Austin."

Robstown alumnus Bobby Garza is among the longtime Big Red fans who annually books an Austin-area hotel for the state tournament. Together, he and his father have missed few games over 30 years. Part of Garza's loyalty is rooted in his respect for Castro, his former coach.

"The crowd believes in the legacy and tradition," Garza said. "And it cannot be broken, 35 straight years in the playoffs, the community expects it."

Garza said his father-in-law's Lopez Stop and Shop convenient stores has become part of the tradition by catering and extending credit to fans who purchase picnic supplies to feed their families on road trips to playoff games.

[Scoop27]

Will there be a webcast of this game? If so what's the internest address?
Thanks

[44INAROW]

Good Luck to the Pirates of Sinton - beat those Cottonpicking Cottonpickers.....

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Robstown 6 Sinton 0 Game 1
Robstown leads series 1-0
Robstown pitcher Jacob Garcia had a no hitter broken up in 7th
Sinton pitched Brett Brown
both went the distance

Game 2 tomorrow night

[speedbump]

Will there be a webcast of this game? If so what's the internest address?
Thanks

http://tsrnsports.com/scoreboard/sinton-vs-robstown-game-2/

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Sinton 8 Robstown 2 Final Game 2
Sinton pitched Mason Hopkins, 3 hitter and goes to 11-0 on the season. Came in with a 0.22 era gave a earn run only the 3rd off Hopkins this season.


Sinton will go with their ace for game 3 tomorrow at 4 pm Jordan Martinez

[SintonFan_inAustin]

3 hrs to game time

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBWU83HU0AEtAhJ.jpg

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Robstown packed it as soon as the gates opened
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBWnD2EUAAAh1iR.jpg


Sinton side this game was standing room only hr before game time

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBWnGJPUIAAp1Rj.jpg

[Scoop27]

What was final score in thisgame?

[SintonFan_inAustin]

What was final score in thisgame?Robstown was up 2-0 then Sinton was up 5-2 bot 7 with 2 outs nobody on. Robstown rally to tie it 5-5. Sinton scored 5 runs in the 9th and win 10-5 Final in 9 innings.

Sinton vs Pleasant Grove ?

[slingshot]

Has anyone heard the finals pairings and game times for Wednesday... got to make travel plans! Go Bulldogs! Make it back to back State Championships!

[Rocket Man]

Has anyone heard the finals pairings and game times for Wednesday... got to make travel plans! Go Bulldogs! Make it back to back State Championships!

My guess is

RR v PG 4:00

AW v SP 7:00

[SintonFan_inAustin]

My guess is

RR v PG 4:00

AW v SP 7:00Think RR and AW will flip tomorrow to see who plays #4 seed Sinton.

Somebody remember last year how it was done for pairing?

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Sinton played in its 15th Region IV title game since 1975. 10th since 1999.

http://www.caller.com/videos/sports/2017/06/04/sinton-beats-robstown-game-3-ages/102482008/


last out https://twitter.com/kiii3sports/status/871180928726388736

Sinton 9th state tournament appearance, have won state 3 times and played in the state title game 5 times. Sinton (30-5) will be the 4th seed playing on wednesday

[Tejastrue]

Congratulations Sinton! :clap: Keep it going!

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Congratulations Sinton! :clap: Keep it going!
Thanks, some good teams that didnt make it this season that had good shot at it in R4.

Sinton will do its best to represent Region IV no room for errors will need the solid pitching and defense and clutch hitting to show up in Austin.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Here was the live video feed from Robstown fan on facebook. He does a great job on covering Robstown baseball.

This game started out with a delay for about 5-10 minutes due to fans watching from center field wall. Watch 1st inning, 5th inning on for action pack and constant fan noise through out the game..

https://www.facebook.com/robstownbaseball/videos/1314633575271992/