By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
The first half of district play is in the books for the Rams baseball team, and it couldn’t have ended any better for Del Rio.
The Rams traveled to Eagle Pass Friday night and earned a 3-1 win over the Eagles to finish the first half of district play 3-3. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Rams and came against their longtime rivals.
It was a far cry from Del Rio’s showing Tuesday at home against Laredo United South. The Panthers scored eight runs in the first inning en route to a 11-4 win.
South sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning. At one point eight straight Panthers reached base and scored after leadoff batter Sariel Marrero was retired on a ground out to leadoff the game.
Roel Colchado started the scoring with a solo home run. Roel Espinoza capped the first-inning scoring with a two-run home run.
Del Rio got two runs back in its half of the first inning.
Alex Rodriguez led off with a double to center field. Ricky Limon then singled to left to bring in Rodriguez to cut the lead to 8-1. Limon would eventually score on a wild pitch to make it 8-2.
The Rams had a chance to cut into the lead further as Will Cooper reached on an error, Thomas Gambrel reached on a fielder’s choice and Mario Soto was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but Wade Cooper, Will’s younger brother, popped out to second to end the threat.
South made it 10-2 in the second with RBIs from Jorge Hernandez and Danny Ruiz.
The Rams picked up their third run in the bottom of the second. Rodriguez drew a one-out walk and then stole second base. Matt Mendez would bring Rodriguez home with a double to right to make it a 10-3 game.
South’s final run came in the top of the fourth inning as Aaron Cervantes, who singled, scored on the throw in from center field on a single off the bat of Arturo Garcia.
Del Rio’s final run came in the bottom of the sixth when Mendez blasted a no-doubt solo home run over the left field wall.
Rams 3, Eagle Pass 1
Tied at 1-1 in the seventh inning, Del Rio scored two runs to take control of the game and hang on for the win at Eagle Pass Friday.
Eagle Pass scored first in the bottom of the first, but the Rams tied it in the top of the fourth as a Gambrel double was followed by an RBI double to center by Soto.
That’s how the score remained until the seventh inning.
Soto struck out to lead off the inning, but the third strike skipped away and Soto was able to advance all the way to second base. He would move to third on a passed ball and was soon joined on the base paths by Wade Cooper, who walked. Del Rio would then load the bases on a walk to J.R. Meza.
Rodriguez put the Rams ahead with a single that brought home Soto and gave Del Rio a 2-1 lead. Cade George, who entered the game as courtesy runner for Cooper, then made it 3-1 when he scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Mendez.
Will Cooper made those runs stand. He allowed the Eagles’ leadoff batter in the bottom of the seventh to reach first, but then retired the last three batters to close out the game.
Del Rio had six hits as a team led by Rodriguez’s two hits. Jon Barragan, Gambrel, Soto and Meza each had one hit.
Cooper pitched a complete game for the Rams, allowing one run on four hits and a walk while striking out 12.
Del Rio is scheduled to host San Antonio Taft on Friday, April 8, at 6 p.m. at The Bank & Trust Field in a non-district contest. They’ll then travel to Laredo to face LBJ on Saturday at 2 p.m. to begin the second half of district play.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
