High School Baseball: Ray stays hot, tops Carroll in 29-5A interzone matchup

Under normal circumstances a baseball game between Carroll and Ray would count in the district standings, but thanks to the zoning in District 29-5A, the Texans and Tigers were continuing to fine tune their game for zone games later in the season on Tuesday.

But even though Tuesday's late evening contest at Cabaniss Baseball Field did not officially count in the standings, the squads offered a preview of a what a potential series for a district title or playoff berth could present between the two teams. The Texans jumped out to an early lead but the Tigers battled back and had the tying and winning runs on base with two outs in the seventh, but the Texans held on for a 6-5 victory to stay hot after winning last week's Mira's Baseball Classic.

This will be the lone regular season meeting between two teams who are ranked in one state poll and teams with high expectations of making the playoffs.

Both know they could see each other again later in the season with much more on the line.

"Try to win ... every game that we step on the field we are trying to win," Ray coach Orlando Ruiz said. "We still got to improve bunt coverages, two out hitting and stuff like that, there's still a lot of work."

The 11-1 Texans put up three runs in the first inning and Carroll responded with two in the bottom half of the inning. Ray, though, added one more in the third off a second RBI double by junior outfielder Jack Spenst and then two more in the sixth thanks to a two-run double by Juan Garcia.

Carroll battled back with two runs in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-4 and added one in the seventh but Ray reliever Christian Martinez struck out two of the final three hitters he faced to earn the save with two Carroll runners on.

"I feel like we are still working, there are a few kinks we need to work out but I think all will be well in district and come playoffs," said Spenst, who finished the night 2 for 3 with two doubles and two RBI.

Carroll (6-4-2) can use the game as more preparation for a South Zone race that will likely feature high intensity games from start to finish against teams such as Veterans Memorial, King, Flour Bluff and Moody.

"It's tough ... where you think about you are going to do this, this and this, A, B, C but then you realize the city rivalry is going to kick in," Carroll coach David Marsello said. "These kids all know each other so well. It is a big game but you also got to temper it because it's not 'counting' in the standings, so there is that little cushion. You want to play the game the right way, and figure out what's going to work in certain situations."

Top Performers

Here is a look at some of the top performers from Monday and Tuesday night's baseball and softball games.

Baseball

Jaquae Stewart, Sinton: Finished 2 for 3 with a double, home run, two runs and four RBI in an 8-1 victory against Rockport-Fulton.

Juan Garcia, Ray: Finished 2 for 3 with a double, and three RBI in a win against Carroll.

Marcus Gabriel, Skidmore-Tynan: Gabriel was 2 for 3 with three runs and an RBI in a win against Mathis.

Landon Salinas, London: Salinas finished 3 for 3 with two runs, RBI and a home run in a win against Flour Bluff.

Ty Garrett, Port Aransas: Garrett was 2 for 2 with three runs, three RBI and two walks in a win against Pettus.

Tyler Lang, Beeville: Struck out 14 in 6.1 shutout innings and also allowed one hit in a win against Ingleside.

Aidan Jakobsohn, Ingleside: Pitched seven innings, giving up one run on four hits in a loss to Beeville.

Sean Howell, Rockport-Fulton: Struck out 11 in five innings, allowing four runs on four hits in a loss to Sinton.

Softball

Jada Zepeda, Veterans Memorial: Zepeda was 3 for 4 with four runs in a victory against Victoria West on Tuesday.

Talia Maldonado, Veterans Memorial: Finished 3 for 5 with two runs, three RBI and two doubles in a win against Victoria West.

Desiree Garcia, Veterans Memorial: Finished 2 for 4 with three runs and four RBI in a win against Victoria West.

Jamie Burch, Sinton: Burch struck out 10 in a win against Rockport-Fulton.

Kylee Ward, Ingleside: Ward struck out 15 in the circle and then was 2 for 3 with an RBI at the plate in a win against Beeville.

Sydney Swinnea, Skidmore-Tynan: Swinnea was 2 for 3 with three RBI and a home run in a win against Refugio.

Sidney Castillo, Woodsboro: Castillo struck out 17 in seven innings allowing three hits in the circle and then was 3 for 4 with two RBI and scored four runs at the plate in a win against Kenedy.

Monica Carrillo, IWA: Carrillo struck out 11 and walked two, while giving up four runs on 13 hits in a victory against San Diego.

Riley Rodriguez, Hebbronville: Was 4 for 4 with three RBI and scored two runs in a win against Odem.

Kadence Trevino, Hebbronville: Pitched six innings, giving up three hits and striking out 13 in a win against Odem.

Zia Rojas, Miller: Was 3 for 4 with a run and three RBI in a win against Falfurrias.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Ray baseball team stays hot, tops Carroll 29-5A interzone game