Expecting, embracing and overcoming adversity is advice Hays High baseball coach James Howard imparts to his team, based on lessons learned from the late David Null.
So, when various lemons were pitched to the Rebels in its three-game series against the Vandegrift Vipers last week, Hays responded by making lemonade.
Three wins over a two-day period, including a dramatic walk-off victory April 12, catapulted Hays to a series sweep over Vandegrift, which held the second place spot in the 25-6A standings. With the wins, Hays (18-7, 11-7) completes the regular season by thrusting itself into the thick of the playoff race.
“There’s going to be a lot of movement in the next few weeks because the top teams are playing against each other,” Howard said. “It’s huge for us to take a (series) win against these guys.”
Carrying the Rebels during the course of its sweep was a pitching staff that limited Vandegrift bats to three total runs. The Vipers entered the series averaging five runs per game.
Aidan Martinez, Weston Wolf and Jacob Trujillo, who were Hays’ starting pitchers in the series, each went more than five innings on the mound.
Howard said Martinez is a “competitor” who piched with a “lot of confidence” and hit his spots in game one. Wolf and Trujillo, who started the last two games of the series, each had great command, threw strikes and trusted their defense, Howard said.
“They competed on the mound and gave their team a chance to win just by throwing a lot of strikes and getting ahead of counts and mixing pitches,” Howard said.
Timely hitting also played a role for the Rebels during the course of the series, highlighted with a walk-off RBI single from Jackson Massey to win the series opener.
Massey’s hit, however, came after Hays struggled to decipher Vandegrift pitcher Erik Miller. Massey said Miller efficiently threw fastballs for strikes and had a “good off-speed slider.” While Hays made solid contact with the ball, often they hit it right at fielders, Howard said.
Hays’ luck changed in the bottom of the seventh after Clayton Cathey earned a base hit, then advanced to third on a Viper error. Massey, who last experienced a walk-off hit in his freshman year, squared up on a two-strike pitch to win the game.
“It was nerve-wracking. You have to do the job so the team can win ... But once you hit it, you kind of know you did your job right. Feels good when you round first base.” Jackson Massey, Rebel player
Adversity, however, reared its head the next day when the Rebels suffered a bus breakdown while on the road for a doubleheader at Vandegrift.
The moment didn’t affect Hays as they rolled past Vandegrift 7-1 in game two. Rebel bats overcame strong Viper pitching in Game 3 when Hays’ Elijah Saldana ripped an RBI double to left field to score a pair of go-ahead runs en route to a 3-1 win.
“Every one of these guys has the talent and the ability to make a difference in the game. It’s clutch we’re having people step up in the right times,” Howard said. “When they get their opportunity, they know they need to make the most of it.”
As the Rebels eye a possible postseason berth, Howard said Hays has progressed beyond the team with varsity inexperience to start the season.
“The big moments matter, no matter what inning it is,” Trujillo said. “It could be the first inning or the seventh, as long as we can be clutch and do our job.”
