pirate44
06-02-2006, 06:22 AM
Another odd twist in Fal-Sinton showdown
Pirates rally from 4-0 deficit before rain forces suspension of Game 2
By GEORGE VONDRACEK Caller-Times
June 2, 2006
ROBSTOWN - The drama continues in the drawn-out, best-of-3 Region IV-3A baseball championship series between Falfurrias and Sinton high schools.
After an extra-inning Game 1 victory by the fourth-ranked Jerseys, Thursday's Game 2 at Fairgrounds Field was suspended in the top of the sixth inning with the game tied at 4. Persistent rains Thursday night, exacerbated by an afternoon shower that drenched the home field of the Coastal Bend Aviators, made the diamond unplayable.
The game will pick up where it was suspended at 7 p.m. today in Alice. The third game of the series, if necessary, will follow after the Game 2 conclusion.
After a 15-minute delay when the tarps were applied to the pitching mound and home-plate area, Sinton coach Gene Kasprzyk and Falfurrias coach David Salinas conferred with the umpiring crew and made the decision to suspend the contest.
That the game wound up being suspended was another odd turn of events because eighth-ranked Sinton trailed 4-0 after a half-inning thanks to four errors. An error led to the 27-6 Jerseys' winning run Wednesday night in the Game 1 opener at Fairgrounds Field.
The winner of the series advances to the Class 3A state tournament, which begins next Wednesday at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The semifinals are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., with Thursday's championship game set to start at 6 p.m. Sinton is seeking its seventh trip to the state tournament while Falfurrias is bidding for its third appearance.
Coming off an 11-inning complete game in his last start, Falfurrias junior right-hander Jason Garcia (7-2) was sailing until Sinton (28-9) broke through in the fourth inning on Anthony Trevino's sacrifice fly.
Until then, four of Sinton's five errors appeared to be the storyline, as the Jerseys took their 4-0 lead off Sinton freshman Josh Rodriguez. Trey Alegria had an RBI single, Reese Forest delivered a two-run single and the fourth run scored on a wild pitch.
Yet the Pirates battled back. In the fourth, Daniel Ramirez opened with a triple to right for Sinton's first hit off Garcia. Ramirez scored on Trevino's sacrifice fly to right, cutting Fal's lead to 4-1.
Sinton evened matters in the bottom of the fifth with consecutive singles by Robert Dunlap, Isaac Rendon and Allen Cantu, the latter of whom drove in Dunlap with the Pirates' second run. Two outs and a passed ball later, Ramirez came through with a two-run single to center to tie the game.
That was it until the persistent precipitation made the field unplayable.
The start of the game was delayed by 59 minutes because of field conditions. The Aviators grounds crew worked to get the infield dry enough to play and the tarp was reapplied around 7:20 p.m. and was not removed until shortly before 8:30 p.m.
The grounds crew had removed the tarp from the field Thursday morning but a squall line rolled in around 3 p.m. and dumped approximately 2 inches rain.
The crew was able to recover the field but when removing the tarp after the rain in the blustery conditions, a good bit of water spilled onto the field behind second and third base.
"It was just a quick little cell," Aviators general manager Rudy Rodriguez said of the precipitation. "The guys got the tarp back on but when they were taking it off they got a little overzealous and all the water dumped out behind second base."
Contact George Vondracek at 886-3731 or HYPERLINK mailto:vondracekg@caller.com vondracekg@caller.com
Pirates rally from 4-0 deficit before rain forces suspension of Game 2
By GEORGE VONDRACEK Caller-Times
June 2, 2006
ROBSTOWN - The drama continues in the drawn-out, best-of-3 Region IV-3A baseball championship series between Falfurrias and Sinton high schools.
After an extra-inning Game 1 victory by the fourth-ranked Jerseys, Thursday's Game 2 at Fairgrounds Field was suspended in the top of the sixth inning with the game tied at 4. Persistent rains Thursday night, exacerbated by an afternoon shower that drenched the home field of the Coastal Bend Aviators, made the diamond unplayable.
The game will pick up where it was suspended at 7 p.m. today in Alice. The third game of the series, if necessary, will follow after the Game 2 conclusion.
After a 15-minute delay when the tarps were applied to the pitching mound and home-plate area, Sinton coach Gene Kasprzyk and Falfurrias coach David Salinas conferred with the umpiring crew and made the decision to suspend the contest.
That the game wound up being suspended was another odd turn of events because eighth-ranked Sinton trailed 4-0 after a half-inning thanks to four errors. An error led to the 27-6 Jerseys' winning run Wednesday night in the Game 1 opener at Fairgrounds Field.
The winner of the series advances to the Class 3A state tournament, which begins next Wednesday at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The semifinals are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., with Thursday's championship game set to start at 6 p.m. Sinton is seeking its seventh trip to the state tournament while Falfurrias is bidding for its third appearance.
Coming off an 11-inning complete game in his last start, Falfurrias junior right-hander Jason Garcia (7-2) was sailing until Sinton (28-9) broke through in the fourth inning on Anthony Trevino's sacrifice fly.
Until then, four of Sinton's five errors appeared to be the storyline, as the Jerseys took their 4-0 lead off Sinton freshman Josh Rodriguez. Trey Alegria had an RBI single, Reese Forest delivered a two-run single and the fourth run scored on a wild pitch.
Yet the Pirates battled back. In the fourth, Daniel Ramirez opened with a triple to right for Sinton's first hit off Garcia. Ramirez scored on Trevino's sacrifice fly to right, cutting Fal's lead to 4-1.
Sinton evened matters in the bottom of the fifth with consecutive singles by Robert Dunlap, Isaac Rendon and Allen Cantu, the latter of whom drove in Dunlap with the Pirates' second run. Two outs and a passed ball later, Ramirez came through with a two-run single to center to tie the game.
That was it until the persistent precipitation made the field unplayable.
The start of the game was delayed by 59 minutes because of field conditions. The Aviators grounds crew worked to get the infield dry enough to play and the tarp was reapplied around 7:20 p.m. and was not removed until shortly before 8:30 p.m.
The grounds crew had removed the tarp from the field Thursday morning but a squall line rolled in around 3 p.m. and dumped approximately 2 inches rain.
The crew was able to recover the field but when removing the tarp after the rain in the blustery conditions, a good bit of water spilled onto the field behind second and third base.
"It was just a quick little cell," Aviators general manager Rudy Rodriguez said of the precipitation. "The guys got the tarp back on but when they were taking it off they got a little overzealous and all the water dumped out behind second base."
Contact George Vondracek at 886-3731 or HYPERLINK mailto:vondracekg@caller.com vondracekg@caller.com