Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Moody slides past Texans, 6-2

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Wednesday, April 18, 2001
Moody slides past Texans, 6-2
Cantu avenges loss, leads Trojans to 29-5A win
By Lee Goddard
Caller-Times

George Tuley/Caller-Times

Moody's Eddie Vasque easily steals second base in the first inning against Ray as Texans second baseman Danny Vargas takes the throw. Vasquez then went on to steal third base but failed to score in the inning. Vasquez stole four bases in the game and scored two runs in Moody's 6-2 victory.

The strategy that Moody baseball coach Steve Castillo employed Tuesday against Toro Trevino, Ray High School's ace, was so simple that it seemed amusing: Just put the ball in play.
   But it worked.
   The Trojans broke open a close game in the fifth inning with four runs and handed Trevino his first loss of the season, as Moody downed the Texans 6-2 in District 29-5A play at Cabaniss Field.
   It was the third time the district rivals had met this season, but the game was a change from the previous two, which both were tied at one after seven innings. In the last meeting, Trevino struck out 10 Trojans in eight innings of work while giving up five hits as Ray won.
   On Tuesday, Moody struck out only six times, and managed eight hits off Trevino (8-1). Counting errors, a walk, hit batsmen and catcher's interference, Moody boarded 15 runners.
   "He still did a good job," Castillo said of Trevino. "We didn't strike out as many times as the last game. We might get three or four hits out of those (strikeouts) the last time. That's what happened in this game."
   The result places Moody (22-4-1, 10-1) squarely in control of the district race and its playoff chances. With three games remaining in the regular season, the Trojans are up two games on their closest district competitors. Ray (16-6-2, 8-3) now falls back into the three-team scramble for the second and third places in 29-5A, joining Carroll and King in trying to gain a place in the postseason.
   The roles could easily have been reversed if not for the pitching of Isaac Cantu (10-2), who gave up seven hits and struck out six while walking one. After allowing four runners in scoring position in the first three innings, only two Texans would reach second or beyond in the game's final four innings.
   The game was a nice switch from last month's tilt against the Texans, when Cantu tossed a three-hitter but lost in eight innings.

George Tuley/Caller-Times

Moody pitcher Isaac Cantu threw a seven-hitter, avenging his earlier loss to the Texans and knocked in two runs.

   "This feels really good," Cantu said of Tuesday's win. "I needed this to redeem myself."
   While needing redemption for a three-hit loss seems harsh, Cantu had to wait until the fifth to get a chance at personal atonement.
   The game was tied at one through the first four frames when Moody leadoff hitter Eddie Vasquez laced a one-out single through a drawn-in Ray infield to bring home Isaac Salazar, who was on third following a triple.
   "I was real focused when I went up. I wanted to get that run," said Vasquez, who was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and four stolen bases. "The last two practices, I've been working on my hitting. And we hit the ball better than last time (against Ray). It feels good to show what we're capable of doing."
   The Trojans were capable of breaking open the game in that inning.
   Vasquez stole second, went to third when Michael Cantu boarded on an error and came home on Andrew Casares' single. Three batters later, Isaac Cantu came to the plate with the bases full and helped himself with a two-run single that extended Moody's lead to 5-1.
   While Cantu and his teammates solved Trevino on the mound, the Texan was still menacing at the plate. Trevino accounted for three of Ray's seven hits, belted a home run and scored both of the team's runs, the first on an Art Ruiz RBI single in the third, the last on a solo shot in the fifth.
   There was no help, though. Trevino, hitting in the third slot, rarely had baserunners on when he stepped to the plate. The first two hitters in the lineup combined to go 1 for 8, and Trevino's home run was the only extra-base hit for the Texans.
   "We didn't hit the ball," Ray coach Mario DeLeon said. "We haven't been hitting the ball very well. That's a big concern for us. When you play Moody, they're going to get their runs. You have to match them one way or another."
   Now Ray must try to match Moody - or at least King and Carroll - in the standings to hold onto a playoff spot. After leading the district all season, Ray dropped out of first place with last week's loss to King, then missed a chance on Tuesday to get it back.
   "We've just got to take care of business," DeLeon said. "We've got three games left and everyone's important. We can't worry about who beats who. We just have to go out and play baseball."
   Despite beating Ray and gaining a two-game lead, there's no relaxing for Moody. Castillo said he and the Trojans' coaching staff were not satisfied with the team's accomplishments yet, and - in two words - Vasquez summed up what it meant to be so close to the Trojans' ninth district title in nine years.
   "Work harder."

Contact Lee Goddard at 886-3613 or goddardl@caller.com

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