Pharr advances to state legion finals, but has to forfeit

PHARR — When Madison Houston played Pharr Post 101 for a ticket to the 2011 Texas American Legion state championship, not many gave Pharr a chance.

After all, there is an old notion about how Valley teams always fall short against teams outside the Rio Grande Valley.

Despite that, Pharr overcame a six-run deficit and stunned Houston 12-9 on Saturday morning to secure a trip to the championship game with the chance to represent Texas in the regional tournament in Fairfield, Cali.

One thing Pharr Post 101 couldn’t overcome though, was its undermanned roster.

Composed of mainly PSJA North Raiders players, Pharr could not field a complete team to participate in the championship game, and thus forfeited, crowning League City Post 554 for the second consecutive time, and four of the last five state tournaments.

To proclaim itself champion, Pharr had to beat League City twice in a double-elimination series. That meant playing at least 18 innings with only nine players, something out of the question for Pharr Post 101 coach Romeo Garza, who cited player injuries and work-related issued as the reason for the forfeit.

“We got some kids who work during the summer, and unfortunately they couldn’t get off,” Garza said. “Some of the kids that played (Saturday) were banged up. There was no way we could compete (with League City), they’re coming fresh and we’re not.”

Pharr, however, did show up at the scheduled time for the championship match, but only for the trophy ceremony and to make its decision official.

“I understand their situation and it’s unfortunate,” League City coach Leo Payne said. “You always want to win on the field.

“I’d rather lose than win this way.”

In the win against Houston, Garza utilized four pitchers, including his son Romeo Garza, who started the game despite having a rusty arm.

“(Garza Jr.) did a hell of a job in four innings, he hadn’t pitched since early May with (PSJA) North,” Garza Sr. said.

On Saturday, Houston batted around in the top of the fourth and jumped to a 6-0 lead.

With runners on base, R.J. Garza slammed a three-run home run to not only give Pharr an 8-7 advantage in the bottom of the sixth, but also helped one of his limping teammates reach home.

“I told (R.J. Garza) that my runner at second base was hurt and that way he can bring him in by knocking it out of the park,” Garza Sr. said “Sure enough, he did. It turned things around for us.”