Pete's Pride

Pirates Win Marlin Tournament, Drum McGregor, Vanguard, Lose to Connally

Tuesday, March 06, 2012 By Brad Lewis-Alex Gomez

In game one of the Marlin Tournament Feb. 23, the Pirates defeated the Buffalo Bison, 11-0. Michael Drummond was the winning pitcher, going five innings and allowing only three hits with eight strikeouts. Outstanding hitters for the game were Austin Montoya, who went 3 for 3 with five runs batted in, and Tyler Baker, who went 1 for 3 with three RBIs. In the second game of the tournament Feb. 24, La Vega defeated the Axtell Longhorns, 4-3. Travis Deleon notched the win for his first win of the season. Outstanding hitters were Michael Deak, who was 2 for 3, Eduardo Perez, who was 2 for 2, Tyler Baker 1 for 2 with two RBIs, and Montoya, who was 2 for 3 with two RBIS. In the championship game, the Pirates defeated the Valley Mills Eagles, 7-3. Tournament MVP Baker won his second game of the season and went 3 for 4 at the plate with two RBIs. Other outstanding hitters were Montoya, who went 2 for 3 with two RBIs, and Deak, who went 1 for 2 with two runs scored at the plate. The La Vega baseball team was once again victorious Feb. 28 as it withstood a late surge by the McGregor Bulldogs to win, 11-5. Montoya was the winning pitcher for the Pirates as he went a complete seven innings, allowing six hits with 13 strikeouts. Outstanding hitters for the game were Tyler Baker, Montoya, and Mario Perez. The undefeated Pirates next participated in the Reicher Tournament Mar. 1-3 and lost a rematch to the McGregor Bulldogs, 6-4. The losing pitcher in the game was Drummond, whose record evened out at 1-1. The top hitter in the game was Montoya, who was 1 for 3 with an RBI at the plate. The second game of the Reicher Tournament resulted in a 9-0 loss by the Pirates against the host Cougars. Emilio Ortegon got his first loss of the season on the mound, and the Pirates only accounted for three hits the entire game. The third and final LV game of the Reicher Tournament ended in a 12-2 loss to Austin Regents. Drummond got his second loss of the season, and his record on the mound is now 1-2. Outstanding hitters were Baker, who was 1-3 with an RBI, and Perez, who went 2-2. The Modocs got back on the winning track with a 15-1 win over the Vanguard Vikings Mar. 5 as Baker picked up his third win of the season. Outstanding hitters in the game were Montoya, who went 3 for 4 at the plate with three RBIs, Perez, was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, and Ortegon, who was 3 for 4 with two RBIs. On a Mar. 12 trip to Fairfield, the Pirates edged out a 5-3 victory, the fourth of the season for Baker, who struck out five and scored twice as did leadoff man Michael Deak after each had a walk and a single, while Eduardo Perez crossed the plate once after reaching base on an error. The Modocs opened district 19-3A play with a rescheduled game at Connally Mar. 22 but came out on the short end, 8-4, falling behind, 5-0, in the fourth but outscoring the host Cadets over the last two innings. Montoya took the loss despite four strikeouts and was relieved by Travis Deleon in the fourth, and Drummond finished the last inning. LV only managed two hits (a single by Daniel Salazar and a double by Baker) and committed three errors in falling to 7-4 overall, 0-1 in district. Next on the schedule is a showdown with #1-ranked Robinson at home Mar. 23 with the JV starting at 4:30 p.m.