Brownsville opens with a big bang
Brownsville’s Marky Ordonez celebrates with his teammates as he crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning. Brownsville beat Bayamon 13-6.
Bayamon’s Jose Mendez walks away after getting picked off at first base during the fourth inning of Friday’s opening game.
The Brownsville, Texas, All-Star Team decided not to maneuver its way through the Pony League World Series in the same way it did the South Zone Region Tournament.
Brownsville lost the first game of that series and had to treat each ensuing game as an elimination game.
Thanks to some solid pitching, a crucial home run in a three-run third inning and a seven-run seventh, Brownsville took a 13-6 victory over Bayamon, Puerto Rico, in the opening game of the Pony League World Series Friday at Lew Hays Pony Field in Washington Park.
The victory sends Brownsville to the next round against Okinawa, Japan, the Asia-Pacific Zone champion, at 8 p.m. tonight.
Bayamon, the Caribbean Zone champion, plays at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in this double-elimination tournament.
“We started out on the right foot,” said Brownsville manager Gilbert Rodriguez. “I told you we have some bats.”
The big innings, and big hits, came in the third, when Brownsville scored three times, and the seventh, when the All-Stars took a 10-run lead by scoring seven times. It was the most runs Brownsville scored in its city league games. Brownsville had a 13-run inning in the South Zone final against St. Landry, La.
“(Bayamon) is a big, strong team,” said Rodriguez. “They have some bats, too.”
In the three-run third, Ivan Castillo beat out an infield single, then Marky Ordonez launched a shot over the right-field fence to make it 3-1. Brownsville added another run on a single by Nick Montemayor.
“It was real important to get that lead,” Rodriguez said. “We were tied at the time, and we knew we had to score some runs. It’s not easy beating that team. That seventh inning was a big inning.”
Bayamon closed to within 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning when Jose Miranda drew a two-out walk before Mario Feliciano smashed a drive over the right field fence.
Brownsville scored single runs in the fifth and sixth before erupting for seven in the seventh. Starting pitcher Ricky Ruiz had a three-run home run to highlight that inning. Ruiz also went the distance, striking out 13.
“He was getting tired (in the seventh), but we had a run advantage so we let him finish the game,” said Rodriguez.
Bayamon added three runs in the bottom of the seventh, thanks in part to an error by Brownsville and an RBI double by Mario Feliciano, who had four RBI in the game.
“We knew this would be a tough game,” said Brownsville coach Fernando Torres. “We’re all very spiritual. This team has a lot of faith.”
The teams traded runs in the first inning. Brownsville scored when leadoff hitter Nate Reyna scored on a single by Alex Alonso. Bayamon answered in the bottom of the inning when leadoff hitter Kidany Slava doubled and came around to score on a fielder’s choice from a grounder hit by Feliciano.
Notes
Trey Ramsey of East Zone champion Chesterfield, Va., won the home run derby by defeating his teammate, Stephen Baughm, in a tiebreaker, 2-1. Ramsey hit nine and Baughm five in the preliminary round. Each hit one in the finals to send it to the tiebreaker. Chesterfield won the team home run derby. … Gehrig Octavio of West Zone champion Hilo, Hawaii, won the fastest runner contest. … The Champions League Game will be held at 10 this morning.