American Bats Erupt To Lead The Way Over Reagan

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Edison Cabrera picked a nice time to hit his first career home run.

The American leadoff hitter got up in a count looking to drive the ball for a hit, and instead he surprised even himself with the big hit that woke up his lineup. The Patriots erupted for a big day at the plate and a solid 11-5 district victory over host Reagan on Tuesday afternoon. American (8-1) puts itself in the driver’s seat in 7A-16, improving to 5-0 while giving the club a nice cushion at the top of the district standings.

“He can’t even hit balls out in bp, so you know we are always on him every day all day about that,” American Manager Ricky Gutierrez joked about Edison. “That was big for him today, his senior year finally hitting one out. I probably won’t hear the end of that for a long time now.”

The Patriots opened the game with a big first inning, only to watch the Bison (8-5) answer back to take a 5-4 lead. They wasted no time to respond back. Jose Chavez rolled a single through the left side to start the top of the fourth, but then was erased at second on a fielder’s choice from Steven Avarez. Victor Cabrera came on to run for Alvarez, but in fact got to jog when Edison connected for his longball to left field.

“He gave me two balls and I said ‘oh he’s got to give me a fastball right down the middle’,” Edison said. “He gave me a pitch that I could drive and I just put a swing in it. I stayed in my game and it came off the bat.”

The home run was the difference in the game, making the moment even that more special for the Patriots third baseman.

“When I saw it go over the fence my heart dropped,” Edison said. “I had never had that feeling running the bases without trying to use my speed. I was just jogging around the bags and I felt real good inside.”

After falling behind before they even got their first swings, the Reagan hitters responded with their big second inning in which they hit around the order to go on top. Moises Criollo started things off when he waited back on a pitch and lined a single to opposite right field. Steven Feierabend worked a walk to give Reagan its first scoring chance of the day, and Raul Cortes did not waste any time taking advantage. The right fielder jumped on a 1-1 offering and drove it over the center field fence for a three-run home run.

Jeffery Nistal was hit by a pitch to turn the lineup over, and two batters later Joe Diaz smacked a shot into the left field corner for an RBI double that evened things up. Diaz then raced home and slid in just ahead of the catcher’s tag after Edgar Pages connected for an RBI single.

“We showed American that we can play with them,” said Reagan Manager JC Houguet. “They came in here and beat us pretty good the first time, and then they came in and got the lead and maybe got a little lackadaisical. We came back and took the lead, but then they turned it on. That’s what good teams do. We’ve still got a lot of work to do but by no means do I feel like we’re completely overmatched.”

It was a tough frame for Patriots starter Ralph Martinez, who bounced back into the win column following the comeback. Martinez was able to survive a tough second to put in a solid outing that saw him go into the fifth inning. Martinez threw 83 pitches and allowed five hits, a walk and also hit a batter, while ringing up eight strikeouts.

“They came out here and we jumped on them and they fought back and went up 5-4,” said Gutierrez. “We didn’t panic and our hitters stayed with our plan and they were able to produce a lot more runs. I told them today before we left American ‘don’t come over here and take Ronald Reagan lightly’. They’ve got a good ball club and they’ve got some good hitters on that team. We need to come here and take care of business. I told them it’s a big ball game today and let’s get used to playing big ball games and big moments.”

Patriots second baseman Eric Gonzalez also delivered a strong performance in the two-hole, going 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and three stolen bases. Following the excitement of Edison’s home run, Eric kept his teammates pumped up by chopping a single past third, then quickly swiping both second and third to get into scoring position. Inching down the baseline and just daring a throw over, Eric was almost halfway down the line the minute a pitch went into the dirt to slide in with the run and a 7-5 edge.

Eric was also the accelerant to put his squad on top right out of the gate, lining a double to left field in the first and then scoring on an RBI double from Romy Gonzalez. Romy stole a base and scored on a throwing error, and Matt Ruiz singled past third to keep the pressure on. Kris Perez also kept that hot start going by laying down a superb bunt along the third baseline to reach with a single.

A double steal set up a scoring opportunity for Rodney Williams, and he capitalized by bouncing a single up the middle that plated Ruiz but saw Perez gunned down at the plate. Jose Chavez completed the big scoring outburst when he sent the first pitch he saw opposite field into the right field corner, leading to an impressive RBI triple that scored Rodney.

The team’s designated hitter Rodney also had a triple on the day, leading off the top of the fifth by connecting with a full count to reach out and stroke a standup triple that set up some insurance runs. Kevin Williams stayed back and sent an RBI single through the right side, then later scored on a throwing error. This time Edison was able to showcase his speed skills in the leadoff slot, as he singled to reach and then came around from first after he got a great jump on a hit-and-run that went for an RBI double from Romy.

Rodney Williams finished 3-for-5 with two runs, and Kevin Wlliams went 3-for-4.

The team had a tremendous approach at the plate, using the entire field and then trusting in their speed and alertness on the bases.

“We’ve been stressing that a lot, to use the other side of the field. There are a lot of base hits that other way,” said Gutierrez. “Sometimes they get antsy and they get in good hitters counts and they want to pull the ball. It was a good approach and today was the best we’ve swung the bats all year. Like I said before the game, it’s been our pitching and defense, but today was vice versa. If we do that we’re going to be real, real tough to beat.”

The Patriots were also solid in the other two departments, playing error-free baseball and also seeing Alex Blanco and Andy Figueroa combine for three shutout innings to close things out.

While it was a big day for American, the Bison also showed a lot about themselves. The team had just one error, banged out eight hits and the pitchers threw strikes. The Bison are now 4-2 in the district, with both losses coming at the hands of the Patriots. But the gap is closing and the Bison roster has shown it is a dog that belongs in that fight.

Even after a tough first frame, Reagan starter Fernando Bolanos responded to show his grit. Perhaps motivated by the boost his offense gave him to take the lead, Bolanos zipped six straight strikes to lead off the top of the third, and struck out the side.

“Most high school kids, after they get hit around like that they will give up and can’t pitch. I did not see that with him,” said Houguet. “He came back and started throwing strikes and was able to shut them down for a few innings. His pitch count got up there and these guys got to their third time through the lineup, so that was why we yanked him. It’s tough to get these guys out once through the lineup, let alone three times.”

The Bison were able to get some valuable experience for relievers Bryan Garcia, Alex Kowalski and Feierabend. With the goal remaining to get them prepared for the district playoffs, the team’s pitching staff has now had a chance to see the Patriots lineup and make their adjustments for the next time they should get another shot at them.

“Districts are what matters,” said Houguet. “Get into the right position for the playoffs and then it’s that second season. That is our emphasis.”

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