Jacob Ponce and the Sachse baseball team defeated Rowlett 7-1 Tuesday in Rowlett. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
ROWLETT — Sachse senior Alex Moreno said that he was pitching to 80 percent of his normal standard Tuesday night. But when pressure situations arose, especially when Rowlett had runners on base, the Baylor University signee elevated his efforts.
Moreno worked out of several jams before handing the ball to junior Carson DaSilva, who tossed two scoreless innings of relief, and senior Tucker Zumwalt struck out one in the seventh inning to close out a 7-1 win.
With the win, Sachse (13-2 in District 9-6A) moves into a tie for first place in District 9-6A with Rowlett. The Mustangs can clinch the outright 9-6A title with a win over Rowlett on Friday and one loss by Wylie (12-2) in one of its two games this week against Wylie East (11-3).
“We want it,I promise you that,” Moreno said. “When it comes time for it, we’re going to give it our best.”
After a throwing error by Rowlett’s second baseman allowed Sachse to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Moreno ran into trouble in the bottom half of the first.
The Eagles threatened with two on and no outs. Rowlett’s next batter, worked a 3-1 count. That sequence initiated a mound visit from Sachse head coach Chris Burrow.
Moreno responded to his coach’s words with his actions. He retired three of the next four batters that he faced, with two strikeouts, and a ground ball that Moreno fielded and threw to first baseman Jacob Ponce ended the threat and kept Sachse ahead 1-0.
“He just told me to reset and keep throwing strikes and letting my defense make plays behind me,” Moreno said. “I just trusted my pitches and trusted my defense.”
Sachse doubled its lead to 2-0 after Colt Upchurch drove in a run in the top of the second. A ground ball that hopped over the glove of a Rowlett infielder allowed Upchurch to reach safely. Aaron Silva, who led off the inning with a double, scored on the play.
The Mustangs finally created separation from the Eagles in the fifth inning. Sachse hit the ball hard. Ponce lined a double into left field and advanced to third on a single by Greyson Darden. Both players scored moments later after William Martin posted a two-run triple that just eluded the reach of a diving effort by Rowlett’s right fielder. The Mustangs’ lead grew to 5-0 on a ground-out that followed.
“We work all the time on trying to go to the opposite side of the field,” Burrow said. “We’ve been doing a good job of that. Being patient at the plate, trying to not make things happen early in the count and take what they give us. They made the adjustments in that inning and did good.”
Sachse plated two more runs in the top of the seventh, with the first coming on an Aaron Silva RBI hit and a subsequent RBI ground-out by Aidan Sabolski.
“It’s amazing,” Moreno said. “Our defense and offense came to play, and we did really good as a team. It was a good overall team win.”
Stay informed and support your local community newspaper, subscribe to The Sachse News.
0 Comments