By Moses Leos III
Courage is an emotion that can be found during the most trying of times.
But perhaps no group of people was as courageous as the Hays Rebel baseball team, which saw a season filled with adversity come to a close Saturday in Round Rock.
Rebel errors, mixed with timely Round Rock Dragon bats, sunk Hays’ playoff hopes in a 9-1 loss, signifying a series sweep for the Dragons.
From that loss emerged a group hardened by the cards they were dealt. In February, the team mourned the loss of head coach David Null, who passed away unexpectedly. While their season ended sooner than they had hoped, senior Mike Gonzales believed their late mentor would have been proud of their efforts.
“I think he would have been proud of us,” Gonzales said. “He told us before the year there would be major adversity. He would be proud of the way we handled ourselves and matured and meshed together as a team.”
Hays began its series against the Dragons with a low scoring pitching duel on Friday.
Round Rock held a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning when Rebel junior Cole Irby delivered an RBI single to tie up the game. The game eventually went to extra innings, where two Dragon runs in the eighth inning allowed Round Rock to take a 3-1 win.
With their backs against the wall, the Rebels had to take a pair of games Saturday to keep their season alive. But fielding miscues hindered Rebel efforts.
Round Rock tallied three runs in the bottom of the first inning, aided by two Rebel errors. Soon the Dragons held a commanding 4-0 lead after two innings of play.
Hays head coach James Howard said the team talked about fundamentals for winning close games all season.
But he said struggles making routine plays hurt progress.
“I think had we made the routine plays, it would have been a different game,” Howard said.
Meanwhile, Rebel bats couldn’t gather momentum against Round Rock pitcher George Miller, who took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning.
Howard said Miller was a “crafty lefty” who kept the ball away from Hays’ consistent hitters.
“(Miller) pitched smart,” Howard said. “He wasn’t overpowering, but he kept us off balance. He located well and stayed ahead of our big hitters.”
Over the course of the weekend, Hays’ senior Tyler Wilson said Round Rock pitchers were able to “hit their spots” and they had “good velocity on everything they threw.”
Wilson said getting the leadoff hitter on base was key to starting momentum, but the team “couldn’t get it done.”
“We hit it straight at people, or, the wind is blowing in, so the ball hung up pretty good,” Wilson said. “But it goes back to approaches.”
Round Rock continued to build its lead before Hays got on the scoreboard. Hays’ lone run was scored via an RBI sacrifice ground ball out by Clayton Cathey.
While Howard said the team didn’t meet its goal of a lengthy postseason run, he was proud of the way they fought through adversity.
“There is not one high school kid that should go through what they went through this year. It’s unfortunate, but it’s life lessons that sports teach you,” Howard said. “These guys are going to fight with everything they’ve got.”
Wilson said Null would have “chewed us” after the loss, but he said Null would be proud of the way they handled their situation.
“I think we did pretty well given our situation,” Wilson said. “But I think he’d be proud of us.”
