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By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Apr. 30 -- The Pecos Eagles got almost as many hits in three
innings Tuesday against the Fort Stockton Panthers as they had in the
last three games combined. But they only managed two runs off starter
James Matchett, who left with a 3-2 lead.
Pecos then collected just two hits in four innings off reliever Steven
Cordero, while striking out nine times. But this time, the Eagles turned
both their hits into runs, scoring once in the fifth and once in the
sixth to close out a disappointing 1997 season with a 4-3 victory over
the Panthers.
Eric Abila was able to steal second, then get catcher Jeremy Hickman to
throw the ball into center field with two outs in the sixth. He broke
for third after appearing to be caught off second base, and scored on
the Panthers' lone error of the day.
"When Eric gets on base he makes things happen," Eagles coach Bubba
Williams said. "He gets on and makes the defense mad. He just didn't get
on enough this year."
Fort Stockton had clinched their first playoff berth in eight years and
eliminated the Eagles from the playoff race on Monday with a 13-6 win at
Big Spring. So Tuesday's game had not meaning for Pecos, but the
Panthers could have tied San Angelo Lake View for second in the District
4-4A standings with a victory.
Coach Russell McGuiart went with Matchett, who was hammered three weeks
earlier by the Eagles in a 15-5 victory. He fared much better this time,
as did Cordero, who was also hit hard by Pecos in that game.
But unlike their recent games, in which the Eagles had not gotten
either enough pitching and/or defense to make up for their hitting woes,
this time Pecos had just one error in seven innings, while getting
scoreless relief from Moses Martinez and Jason Abila.
Martinez became the first Pecos pitcher besides Abila in two years to
earn a district win, going 2 2-3 innings in relief of Louis Valencia, who
left after Emilio Perales' two-run home run had given Fort Stockton the
lead. He left in the sixth, after the Eagles went back in front, and
Abila picked up his second save of the year, overcoming a leadoff hit by
Cordero in the sixth, and a two on, two-out jam in the seventh.
"We didn't come over here and lay down, and I'm proud of the kids for
that," said Williams.
John Gutirrez, who ended the 15-5 game on April 15 with a three-run
homer off Cordero, got things going in the second against Matchett with
a lead off double to center field. One out later Mark Abila singled him
home, and after another hit by Joseph Strain, Abila scored on Nestor
Mendoza's ground out, when second baseman Daniel Nanez couldn't get the
ball out of his glove in time for a play at the plate.
Nanez would atone for that mistake in the third, as he tripled to
right-center field to score Chris Irigoyen, who led off the third with
the first hit off Valencia. The run came after Pecos' lone error of the
day, as Joseph Strain threw low to second base, after Irigoyen was
picked off first by catcher Mark Abila.
One out later Perales hit a fly ball that got caught up in the wind and
carried over the fence in left to put the Panthers ahead.
It also brought on Cordero to pitch. He had picked up the save in
Monday's win, and retired the first four Pecos batters he faced, before
Jason Abila got one up into the wind and over the 390-foot sign in
center for his fifth homer of the year, tying the game.
Eric Abila's hit was a little shorter. He beat out an infield single to
shortstop to open the sixth, then after a battle with Dustin Lenhart at
first that drew a warning from the umpire, stole second on Hickman
before coming in on the error.
Defense helped Valencia in the second, when Cisco Rodriguez made a
running catch on a Nathan Reeves' line drive, and Rodriguez would help
Mendoza in the fifth, diving to catch Chris Irigoyen's sinking liner
with two outs and Abraham Diaz on second base. The pitch came after
Mendoza appeared to have struck out Irigoyen, who swung and missed two
pitches after a high first pitch appeared to be called a strike.
The Eagles and Irigoyen left the field, before being called back by the
umpires, who then put the Panthers' runner back to second base, as
McGuiart argued he should be allowed to stay on third, because time was
never called.
"Defensively, the kids went out there and made the plays, and you want
them to do that every game. But these are 15-16 year olds and they just
don't always do it.
"The hitting has really hurt us, and we didn't sting the ball that much
today, but we put it in play enough to score some runs, and we played
pretty good defense," Williams said.
The win gave Pecos a final record of 13-10, and their 4-6 district
record, including their forfeited win over Sweetwater, was the same mark
the Eagles posted in 1996. Fort Stockton finished district at 5-5 and
are 10-14 overall. They'll go on to meet the District 3-4A runner-up El
Paso Ysleta in the bi-district round of the Class 4A playoffs.
......PECOS...................FORT STOCKTON....
...........ab...r...h...bi.......ab...r...h...bi
Luna cf...4...0...0...0...Perales 3b...3...1...1...2
J.Abla ss-p...4...1...2...1...Rojas lf...4...0...0...0
Rodrguez lf...4...0...0...0...Crdro ss-p...3...0...1...0
Carrsco 3b...0...0...0...0...Reeves rf...3...0...1...0
J.Gutrrz dh...3...1...2...0...Lenhart lb...1...0...0...0
E.Abila rf...3...1...2...0...Matchett p...1...0...0...0
M.Abila c...3...1...1...1...Diaz 2b...2...0...0...0
Strain 1b...3...0...1...0...Hernandz cf...0...0...0...0
Mendoza 2b...3...0...0...0...Irigoyen dh...3...1...1...0
Valencia p...0...0...0...0...Nanz 2b-ss...3...1...2...1
Garcia cr...0...0...0...0...Hickman c...3...0...0...0
Martinez p...1...0...0...0
Vasquez ss...0...0...0...0
Garcia pr...0...0...0...0
Totals...28...4...8...3...Totals...25...3...6...3
Pecos ...0.2.0...0.1.1...0..--|4
Fort Stockton ...0.0.3...0.0.0..0..--|3
E -- Strain, Hickman DP -- Fort Stockton 1. LOB -- Pecos 5, Fort
Stockton 5. 2B -- J Gutierrez 2. 3B -- Nanez. HR -- Perales, J. Abila. S
-- Lenhart. SB -- M. Abila, E. Abila 2, Garcia. CS -- Lenhart (by M.
Abila).
.................IP...H...R..ER..BB..KO
Pecos
Valencia ...2_..3...3...2...1..|1
Martinez W, 5-4 ...2 2-3..1...0...0...1..|2
J.Abila (Save 2) ...2..2...0...0...1..|4
Fort Stockton
Matchett ...3...6...2...2...1..|1
Cordero L, 5-4 ...4...2...2...1...1..|9
PB -- M. Abila.
T -- 2:11.
Physicals will be given by Dr. Gary Albertson to girls from 8 to 11:30
a.m. in the new Pecos High School gym, while boys physicals will be from
1 to 3:30 p.m., PHS trainer Joel Birch said.
Physicals will be $15 per student, and Birch said boys who may have a
conflict with the start of Senior League baseball play on Saturday can
come as a group to the gym either at 8 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. to have their
physicals conducted.
For further information, call Birch at 447-7220.
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