TarponFanInNorthTexas
03-09-2003, 11:08 AM
Just found this article today. This tournament is an 8 team tournament consisting of all 5 Brownsville, TX high schools (3 5A teams, and 2 4A teams) Brownsville's private school, St. Joseph, a TAPPS 5A school, Los Fresnos, a big 4A school, and Port Isabel, a 3A school. And Port Isabel literally BLASTED the defending 32-5A district champion, Brownsville Rivera, in the championship game. Here's the article.
Raiders diced into fish bait
Baseball: Port Isabel crushes Rivera for metro tourney title.
By M.E. Benavides
The Brownsville Herald
March 9, 2003
Port Isabel capitalized on seven Rivera errors to capture the Brownsville Metro Classic Tournament title 19-9 Saturday at Pace High School.
Tournament MVP Abel Delgadillo torched Rivera pitchers, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a home run over the leftfield fence in the bottom of the second inning.
Without any defensive assistance, Rivera pitchers were lit up for 13 hits, while allowing eight walks.
"We’ve been hitting the ball really well all year," Port Isabel head coach Robert Holland said. "Our batting coach has done a heck of a job with our players. We’ve got a good little program and we can play with anybody."
Rivera got its bats going in top of the first, connecting off Port Isabel pitcher Joey Loera for four runs on five hits, appearing on track to an easy win.
An RBI single from Gilbert Cantu brought in Ringo Lopez from second to put Rivera up 1-0.
A triple from David Hurtado followed by a double from Roger Villarreal accounted for the next three Rivera runs, to give the Raiders a 4-0 lead.
The Tarpons responded, immediately scoring five runs in the bottom of the first to pull ahead 5-4.
"We don’t get fazed when someone comes up on us," Abel Delgadillo said. "We got good hitters up and down this line-up, so we’re never really worried when someone scores on us."
After a rocky first inning, Loera regained his composure in the second, allowing just one hit and forcing Eddie Galvan to hit into a double play to end the inning.
"After the first inning when they scored four runs right away, I knew our batting would be there for us," Loera said. "I just told myself I had to try and keep our team in the game. If I did that, I knew our team would capitalize on their mistakes."
The Tarpons continued their offensive assault in the bottom of the second, hammering the Rivera defense for eight runs to jump ahead 13-4.
With runners on second and third with one out, Delgadillo connected for a three-run homer to break open the game.
"It was just a right down the pipe fastball and I connected with it," Delgadillo said, describing his second inning bomb.
The Rivera infield did little to help, giving away three runs on two errors.
"We broke down a little bit early defensively," Rivera head coach Alex Anzaldua said. "I tip my hats out to them (Port Isabel). They swung the bats real well."
Rivera didn’t go away quietly. The Raiders put themselves back in the contest in the top of the fourth inning.
Banking on two Tarpon errors, the Raiders pulled to within 13-9, following a double off the left field fence that led to two runs from Roger Villarreal.
The Raiders’ rally was short lived, as Port Isabel answered back in the bottom of the fourth to put the game away with six more runs.
Following the win, Port Isabel’s immediate focus switched to tough 32-3A district race ahead of them.
"Our kids don’t lack confidence," Holland said. "It was great to win this but we have bigger goals. Don’t get me wrong, I love to come here and win, but like everyone else we’re focused on district."
Raiders diced into fish bait
Baseball: Port Isabel crushes Rivera for metro tourney title.
By M.E. Benavides
The Brownsville Herald
March 9, 2003
Port Isabel capitalized on seven Rivera errors to capture the Brownsville Metro Classic Tournament title 19-9 Saturday at Pace High School.
Tournament MVP Abel Delgadillo torched Rivera pitchers, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a home run over the leftfield fence in the bottom of the second inning.
Without any defensive assistance, Rivera pitchers were lit up for 13 hits, while allowing eight walks.
"We’ve been hitting the ball really well all year," Port Isabel head coach Robert Holland said. "Our batting coach has done a heck of a job with our players. We’ve got a good little program and we can play with anybody."
Rivera got its bats going in top of the first, connecting off Port Isabel pitcher Joey Loera for four runs on five hits, appearing on track to an easy win.
An RBI single from Gilbert Cantu brought in Ringo Lopez from second to put Rivera up 1-0.
A triple from David Hurtado followed by a double from Roger Villarreal accounted for the next three Rivera runs, to give the Raiders a 4-0 lead.
The Tarpons responded, immediately scoring five runs in the bottom of the first to pull ahead 5-4.
"We don’t get fazed when someone comes up on us," Abel Delgadillo said. "We got good hitters up and down this line-up, so we’re never really worried when someone scores on us."
After a rocky first inning, Loera regained his composure in the second, allowing just one hit and forcing Eddie Galvan to hit into a double play to end the inning.
"After the first inning when they scored four runs right away, I knew our batting would be there for us," Loera said. "I just told myself I had to try and keep our team in the game. If I did that, I knew our team would capitalize on their mistakes."
The Tarpons continued their offensive assault in the bottom of the second, hammering the Rivera defense for eight runs to jump ahead 13-4.
With runners on second and third with one out, Delgadillo connected for a three-run homer to break open the game.
"It was just a right down the pipe fastball and I connected with it," Delgadillo said, describing his second inning bomb.
The Rivera infield did little to help, giving away three runs on two errors.
"We broke down a little bit early defensively," Rivera head coach Alex Anzaldua said. "I tip my hats out to them (Port Isabel). They swung the bats real well."
Rivera didn’t go away quietly. The Raiders put themselves back in the contest in the top of the fourth inning.
Banking on two Tarpon errors, the Raiders pulled to within 13-9, following a double off the left field fence that led to two runs from Roger Villarreal.
The Raiders’ rally was short lived, as Port Isabel answered back in the bottom of the fourth to put the game away with six more runs.
Following the win, Port Isabel’s immediate focus switched to tough 32-3A district race ahead of them.
"Our kids don’t lack confidence," Holland said. "It was great to win this but we have bigger goals. Don’t get me wrong, I love to come here and win, but like everyone else we’re focused on district."