by MOSES LEOS III
Playing two games – Friday night’s regular season game against Kerrville Tivy and Saturday’s deciding game on which of the two teams takes second or third in district, the Rebels and Antlers displayed two very different games on the two days.
Saturday’s game was at a neutral site. Despite accruing nine hits in the game, the Rebel bats struggled to bring home the runs. Conversely, Tivy racked up 13 hits on the day, en route to defeating the Rebels 8-1.
However, Friday’s contest between the two teams was entirely different. Where Saturday’s game featured a barrage of hits, the regular season finale on Friday saw both clubs interlocked in an old fashioned pitching duel. But, timely hitting in the bottom of the sixth helped Hays earn an important 5-1 win over Tivy on Senior Night. The victory gave Hays a share of the district championship with Tivy and Schertz Clemens, all with 9-5 marks in district play.
Tivy was the first to place a tally on the board Friday night, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Hays countered in the bottom of the third with a run of their own. With two men on base, Devin Palm brought in a run via an RBI single that was driven to center field. The Rebels nearly had a second run score on Palm’s single, but a throw from center field caught senior Granger Studdard out at home.
The superb pitching styles of Hays’ Tyler Woodmansee and Tivy’s Payeton Becker were on display all evening long. Both offenses attempted to generate offensive opportunities, but the command of the pitchers kept batters at bay.
It was during the sixth inning that both teams found their offensive rhythm. Tivy got a runner into scoring position with only one out in the top half. The Rebels were the benefactors of a close call at third base during the at-bat of AJ Rutland, who saw a seemingly fair line-drive down the left field line called foul. Woodmansee and the Rebel defense regrouped from that close moment, shutting down the Tivy threat. “I just know I have to throw strikes,” Woodmansee said. “I also know to let my defense do what they do. I am happy at the way they played tonight. They made a lot of great plays.”
Hays took the momentum from the success in the top of the sixth, and translated it into the bottom half. After Hays began the inning with two straight ground outs, Hays’ Nate Scott and Justin Diaz both walked to place runners at first and second. Patience at the plate continued to pay off, as Adrian Acosta and Justin Montana smashed back-to-back RBI singles, giving Hays a 3-1 advantage. Robles continued the momentum by bringing in two runs on an RBI double to deep right center, increasing the Hays lead to 5-1 – a lead they did not relinquish the rest of the evening.
Keying on Becker’s pitching patterns, Hays found success. “When you see a pitcher for the third time, you are more familiar with what he throws,” Hays head coach David Null said. “Our batters had great at-bats tonight; they were patient, they waited for their pitch. About four or five hitters in a row battled with two strikes. That is a great thing.”
The Rebels also kept each other motivated during the game. “We worked well as a team tonight,” Diaz said. “No one got their heads down, everyone kept fighting for each other, playing as a team. If we can continue that, we will be able to go far.”
Null said he enjoyed the gratifying experience of sharing the district title. “It is a great feeling, it really is,” he said. “Earlier this year, we won 10 straight games, and were really on a roll. Then we went through a period where we played a few close games, but came up short several times. This (win) is big for our momentum, for the playoffs, to regain the momentum we had at the beginning of the season.”
Yet, the emotion of coaching this senior class, many of whom Null coached when they were freshman, was a remarkable experience for the first year head coach. “When they stared walking down the field with their parents, I got a little emotional,” Null said. “But a lot of things went through my mind, such as, ‘how quickly those four years have passed, look at these great young men.’ Not only are they great baseball players, but they are a great group of kids, great individuals and great citizens. As a coach, it is a fantastic thing to see.”
The playoffs begin for the Rebels on May 2-4 in a three game series against San Antonio Burbant.
