By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Down 3-0, Del Rio had the Taft Raiders right where the Rams wanted them.
With district play resuming the next day, the Del Rio Rams baseball team welcomed the Taft Raiders to town Friday night and rallied for a 7-3 win.
That victory was sandwiched between a pair of district wins and helped fuel a three-game winning streak for the boys in blue and white as they look for a strong finish to the season and a possible playoff berth.
The Raiders grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first after Daniel Rodriguez doubled and scored on a fielder’s choice.
The lead grew to 3-0 in the second as Austin Vara and Chris Lopez walked and Elijah Barrera bunted for an infield single to load the bases. Jared Lopez then walked to bring in Vara, and Chris Lopez scored on a Rams error.
Del Rio clawed its way back into the game in the bottom of the second.
With two outs, Wade Cooper reached on a Taft error. Wilson Smith followed with a line drive to left to plate courtesy runner Ethan Matherne and make it a 3-1 game.
After Alex Rodriguez reached on an error, Ricky Limon drove a single to right field and brought in Smith to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Raiders never really threated after the second inning. Relief pitchers Jon Barragan and Daniel Crispin, who would pick up the win, held Taft to just one hit over the final five innings of play. They did combine to walk three batters and hit two others, but allowed just four runners to get past first base during that stretch.
Meanwhile, Del Rio’s bats were heating up.
Cooper smacked a one-out double to kickstart the bottom of the fourth. Two batters later, Alex Rodriguez dropped a single into left field to bring in courtesy runner Ty George to tie the game at 3-3.
The Rams took control of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Matt Mendez struck out swinging to lead of the at-bat, but the ball got away from the Taft catcher and Mendez was safe at first. After a sacrifice bunt by Jo Guerrero, J.R. Meza stepped in but was sent to first when he was hit by a pitch. A walk to Tommy Gambrel loaded the bases for Mario Soto, who ripped a single into center field to bring in Mendez and give the Rams their first lead of the game.
Cooper was up next and he walked to bring home Crispin, who reentered the game following Meza’s at-bat, to make it a 5-3 game. Smith gave up a bit of his body for the Rams’ sixth run as he was hit by a pitch with the bases still loaded.
Soto would score on a bad throw by Taft’s catcher to make it 7-3, which stood as the final.
Rams 7
Laredo LBJ 5
Del Rio returned to district play Saturday when they traveled to Laredo and stopped the LBJ Wolves, 7-5.
The Rams scored first in the top of the second inning after Soto doubled and later scored on a sacrifice bunt by Guerrero to make it 1-0.
Two batters later, Rodriguez tripled to right field and brought in Cooper and Smith, who each reached on errors, to make the score 3-0.
The Rams struck again in the top of the fourth.
Guerrero singled and was replaced on the bases by Matherne, who would score off a Mendez sacrifice fly to give Del Rio a 4-0 lead. Barragan then followed with a double that drove in Smith, who’d walked earlier in the at-bat, to push the lead to 5-0.
LBJ picked up a run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-1, and then tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a Rams error, three walks and four hits in the at-bat.
Del Rio reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh.
Soto smacked a one-out single to left to start the rally. Guerrero would follow with a two-out single to center, then Meza would single to center to bring in pinch runner Ty George, running for Soto, to put the Rams back on top 6-5.
After Rodriguez walked to load the bases, Limon worked a walk to bring home pinch runner Matherne for a 7-5 Rams lead.
LBJ looked to threaten in the bottom of the seventh as a walk and a single put two runners on to start the Wolves’ final at-bat, but Soto retired the next three batters he faced to seal the Del Rio win.
Del Rio is set to host the Laredo United Longhorns Tuesday at 7 p.m. at The Bank & Trust Ram Field.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
