Season heats up for Freshman Lions

The Lockhart Lion Freshman Team completed a tough week of baseball before getting started in District play on Monday, March 12 against the Hays Rebels. The week started with the Wimberley Texans last Tuesday. The Lions played a good game on defense and at the plate. Brian Martinez and Will Rodriguez combined for a six-hitter with Martinez picking up the win. At the plate sev

eral players combined for eight hits and nine runs. Leading the group was Bryan Mendez (2-3, triple, double and two RBIs), Cody James (2-3, double, two RBIs and two runs) and Ryan Hitter (triple, two runs and one RBI). Will Rodriguez, Samuel Yanez, and Joseph Garcia each had a hit, run, and one RBI.
The Lion Freshman were in the Bastrop Bear Baseball Tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday the Lions played Round Rock McNeil where they found the Mavericks to be a bit tougher from when they played them in the Hays Tournament. The defensive side of the ball killed the Lions as they had eight errors. The bats were also quiet, which led to an 18-0 loss.
In the second game of the tournament, the Freshman went up against District foe Hays. For the first couple of innings the Rebels and Lions battled back and forth for the lead and then the Rebels pulled ahead 11-6. In the bottom of the 7th the Lions clawed back to score six runs on four hits to pull out the victory.
“I was very proud of the kids because they never gave up,” Coach Crampton said. “We gave up several runs when we had two outs and that is what got to us in the middle innings. We have to finish the inning up and not give away runs in those situations. They shut the Rebels down in the sixth and seventh giving us the chance to get back into the game.”
That evening the Taylor Ducks faced the Lions. This game was a well played game and a pitchers” duel with Brian Martinez on the hill for Lockhart. This game went seven innings and ended in a tie.
The last game of the tournament was between host Bastrop and Lockhart. This was another very well played game. For the first time in 10 games, the Lions did not have a defensive error. The kids played a great game all the way down to the end.
“We just got out hit,” Crampton said. “We only had four hits to their 10 and we left too many men on the bases. The chances were there we just couldn”t move the runners when they were in scoring position.”
The Lions” pre-district record stands at 4-5-1.
Tournament highlights:
Brian Martinez went 7-11 at the plate.
Cody James was 4-10.
Lee Brummitt was 2-5 with an important hit in the Hays game that got the big inning going for the Lions.
Pitching for the Lions were Josh Flores, Joseph Garcia, Ryan Hitter, Brian Martinez, Will Rodriguez, Kendall Till and Samuel Yanez. These young men did a great job for five games in four days.
The Lions were scheduled to begin district play this week, but the games were postponed due to inclement weather.
(Courtesy of T. Crampton)