Laredo American deals Hubbard Creek first loss at state Little League tournament
The Hubbard Creek Rangers ran into a buzz saw Thursday night at the Texas West State Little League Tournament.
Gerrick Vasquez and Danny Buentello clubbed out three hits each, while Vasquez and David Onofre combined on a three-hitter as Laredo American blasted Hubbard Creek 13-2 in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in the Intermediate Division at the Wylie Little League complex at Kirby Lake Park.
Laredo American, which won the game in five innings on the 10-run rule, advances to the title game at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Hubbard Creek, a team of Albany and Breckenridge players, suffered its first loss of the season.
“Those guys are solid,” Rangers’ manager Brad Woodward said. “We had several hard-hit balls that they gobbled up and made plays on. You never want to lose, but when you lose to a team that’s playing at that level, it makes you feel good almost because you know your team got better because they got to see that play.”
The Rangers (6-1 overall) must beat Medina Valley to keep their season alive in an elimination game at 9 a.m. Friday.
Medina Valley, which lost the tournament opener 10-7 to Hubbard Creek on Wednesday, eliminated Lubbock Southwest 13-3 in five innings in an elimination game earlier in the day Thursday.
Whichever team wins Friday must beat Laredo American twice on Saturday to win the state title and advance to the Southwest Regional later this month in Houston.
Vasquez allowed a run on one hit in 2⅓ innings in the start for Laredo American. He struck out two and walked one.
Onofre finished the game, giving a run on two hits. He struck out two.
Both got some dazzling defense behind them. Fernando Zapata made a nice defensive stop at second base and threw out Hudson Woodward for the final out in the third inning, and Peter Cerda made an unbelievable play on Clay Chapman’s ground ball, then threw a laser to first for the first out in the fourth.
Marco Lara, the team’s catcher, also threw out two runners.
“I’m just proud there’s that level of talent here at this tournament that’s pushing us to get better,” Coach Woodward said of Laredo American. “I’m proud of those boys for winning and the way they played was amazing.
“I’m proud of our boys, because we stayed in it and had fun. The boys stayed loose, and you saw some amazing effort by several different ones. There was no lack of effort or give up. If you have to lose, it couldn’t have been a better loss, because we learned a lot, and we saw a great team, and we stayed in it and kept competing until the bitter end.”
The Rangers never led, though they tied the game at 1 on Woodward’s bunt single in the bottom of the first. Cooper Wimberley, who walked, stole second and took third on a throwing error, scored on the hit.
Vasquez, though, got Chapman to hit a comebacker to start a double play, before getting a strike out.
Laredo American sent nine batters to the plate in a five-run second inning and added four more runs in the third for a 10-1 lead.
Hubbard Creek got its final run in the fourth. Michael Gomez hit a one-out triple and scored on Aiden Vickers’ two-out single.
Laredo American scored three runs in the fifth, before Onofre retired all three batters in the bottom of the inning to end the game.
Laredo American, which beat Lubbock Southwest 4-2 in its opener Wednesday, had 11 hits and took advantage of six Rangers’ errors. The team was aggressive, too – stealing seven bases.
Medina Valley, which has scored 20 runs in its last seven innings, rallying for 7 in its final two innings against Hubbard Creek, presents a tough test for Hubbard Creek. The Rangers haven’t faced a must-win game this season and must beat Medina Valley twice.
“We’re not here for trophies and medals,” Coach Woodward said. “Those are nice and fun, but we’re here to get better, and we’re getting better every game. No matter what happens (Friday), I think we’ll be a better team.”
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Laredo remains unbeaten at Texas West State Little League Tournament
