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West tops East in baseball all-star game
LA JOYA — The 29th annual RGV East-West All-Star baseball game went all the way to nine innings, but the reality was that the game was settled after the West cycled through its lineup in the top of the first inning.
The West exploded for nine runs during its half of the inning to rout the East All-Stars 14-1 at the La Joya baseball stadium on Saturday night to claim its fourth straight All-Star victory.
The barrage of runs came after East pitcher Tim Serna struck out two of his first three batters, but the West bats Serna got the best of Serna for the rest of the inning.
“It comes to these kids being patient and having a good approach at the plate,” West and Mission Veterans Memorial coach Casey Smith said. “I know it’s an all-star game, but the kids game out swinging their (butts) and took advantage and got some base hits and walks off of that.”
The bats worked well for the West, but so did the pitching. Senior Edgar Flores struck out four batters and allowed only one hit in three innings’ work and was named West’s MVP , while Justin Villarreal was named East MVP.
“I was trying my best and just having fun,” said Flores, who represented La Joya High. “I think La Joya was well represented, my other teammates (on the All-Star team) did alright, but we were just playing for the love of the game of baseball.”
West and Coyotes teammate Lee Ramirez helped send Flores off on a sweet farewell in front of the home crowd by knocking a two-run single down center field.
“It was emotional, it’s my home field and all my coaches and parents were here supporting me,” Flores said.
The West tacked on two more runs in the second inning and one more in the third to take a 14-0 lead, allowing other players to see action with the comfortable lead.
Uncharacteristic infield mistakes doomed the East before Los Fresnos pitcher Leo Saldivar relieved Serna on the mound. The East avoided the shutout after Roberto Vidal scored off an A.B. Castro sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
For the East, however, avoiding the shutout was the last thing on the team’s mind. They were playing for Brownsville Hanna pitcher Steven Garza who was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year. Garza was named an honorary captain for the East, but was unable to attend the game.
“We were playing for (Garza) and the kids played hard all night for him,” East All-Star coach Rene Morales said. “Despite the loss, it shows the unity of this team that rallied around him.”
