Lobo starting pitcher Hunter Lehman hops off the mound to make a play at first base during his team's historic win Tuesday night. The Lobos scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to earn a dramatic comeback win over Hays. (Photo by Judy Cooper)
By JASON GORDON
If you happen to see a giant red and blue gorilla lying around behind the Hays High baseball field the Lehman Lobos left it there Tuesday night.
For the first time in school history, the Lehman baseball team beat Hays. The Lobos did it in dramatic fashion, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh for a 5-3 comeback win at Rebel Field in the District 27-4A opener for both teams.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Lehman shortstop Nick Cerda. “I’ve wanted to beat Hays ever since my freshman year.”
Last year, Hays beat Lehman 30-10 at Lobo Field, and although Lehman led 7-4 at Hays last season, the Rebels came back to win 12-10.
“Our players remembered 30-10, and they remembered Hays coming back on us here last year,” said Lehman head coach Toby Robinson, who’s been a part of the Lobo baseball program all six of its varsity seasons. “This is definitely a big win. I think getting to the playoffs last year was our top accomplishment as a team, but this is a very close second.”
Hays appeared to have the upper hand when it took a 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning on Nick Cavazos’ double off the wall in deep right field that plated Victor Rubio.
Although Hays was three outs away from another victory over Lehman, it was apparent the Lobos weren’t going to quit.
“Even when we were losing, I knew we had the fight in us to come back,” Cerda said. “I could see it in everyone’s eyes in the dugout.”
Three of the first four Lehman batters, Braxton Rico, Xavier Soliz and Rudy Martinez, singled in the top of the seventh inning to load the bases with one out.
Cerda drew a walk that brought Rico home to tie the score 3-3, and Justin Vajgert’s sharp grounder for a single scored Soliz to give Lehman the lead 4-3.
Chris Tello’s RBI-groundout to shortstop allowed Martinez to score an insurance run for the Lobos.
In all, Lehman sent eight men to the plate, collected four hits and three runs off three Hays pitchers in the top of the seventh to take a 5-3 lead.
Although the first two batters were quickly retired by Lehman freshman reliever Justin Penney in the bottom of the seventh, Hays got some life when J.T. Rye reached on an error and Granger Studdard singled to right field. But Victor Rubio grounded sharply back to Penney, who flipped the ball to Tello for the game-sealing third out and Lobo players and fans jumped as high as they could, hi-fived and screamed so loud they probably heard it back in Kyle.
“Well it had to happen eventually, didn’t it?,” Hays head coach Doug Ragsdale said. “They’ve played us tough before. We didn’t make a couple of plays late and they made those plays. You have to give them credit.”
