The Hays baseball team snapped a three-game losing streak to Lehman and pulled even with the Lobos in the District 27-4A standings with a wild 14-11 victory Tuesday night at Rebel Field. (photo by Cyndy Slovak-Barton)
By WES FERGUSON
A 10-run burst in the fifth inning broke open a tight baseball game against Lehman on Tuesday night, propelling the Hays Rebels to a 14-11 win over their district rivals.
The victory snaps a three-game losing streak against the Lobos for the Rebs. With both teams now boasting identical 3-4 district records, Hays and Lehman are sitting in a tie in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in District 27-4A.
“I feel like we’ll be competing with them to make the playoffs, so this is a big win for us,” said winning pitcher Trevor Ragsdale, who struck out five batters in nearly six innings on the mound.
Lehman fought back with a four-run rally in the sixth frame, led by RBI doubles from Jacob Urea, Justin Penney and Matt Anguiano, and two more scores in the top of the seventh. But sophomore pitcher Tyler Woodmansee struck out Penney to end the game and earn the save, keeping his team’s postseason hopes alive.
“If we hadn’t won tonight we may not have had a chance. But we do now,” head coach Doug Ragsdale said. “As long as you’ve got a chance you’ve got to feel good about it.”
He said his young team is learning to relax and embrace its less-than-perfect play in the field, knowing his batters will make up for the uneven defense.
“I’ve got pitchers who go out there and pitch their hearts out and kids who are fighting their tails off to play,” he said. “We still make some defensive mistakes and let people in ballgames, but that’s who we are so that’s how we’re gonna play.”
Aaron Martinets, Dalton Niles and Andrew Laughlin had two hits apiece for the Rebels.
For the Lobos, Urea batted 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and Rudy Martinez was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs scored. Martinez blamed the loss on the lopsided fifth inning, when the Rebels unloaded 10 runs on a combination of six singles, four walks and a handful of Lehman defensive miscues.
“It was just one inning,” Martinez said. “They just got lucky in one inning.”
Lobos head coach Toby Robinson said his players would focus on their defense as they prepare to travel to Canyon on Thursday.
“If we score 11 runs and get 15 hits every game, we have a good chance to win every game,” he said.
Hays visits district-leading Alamo Heights on Thursday. First pitch for both games is set for 7 p.m.
