Round Two goes to Presidio, Loboes second in Seminole
    District play begins Friday with Blue Devils here
        by Dave Poynor, Staff Writer -- Monahans News -- March 23, 2004

The Presidio Blue Devils paid Monahans back by beating them 3-2 in the Seminole Tournament Championship Saturday.  Two weeks earlier, the Loboes beat the Devils by the identical score in the Sandhills championship game.

Monahans got some good hitting and surprising pitching performance en route to the title game in Indian field.

Game One looked to be a tough matchup with the Brownfield Cubs team that knocked off top ranked Sweetwater last week.  Dimas Porras proved to be too much for the Cubs striking out 11 in a six inning complete game win.  Porras had two doubles in the game Houston Stockman had a triple and Kevin Kenyon went 2 for 4 on the night.

The second round winner's bracket opponent was the home team, and Coach Arcadio Rivera tabbed Miguel Gonzales to start on the mound.  The junior got off to a slow start with 31 pitched thrown in the first inning, but by game's end, Gonzales would turn out to be surprise hero of the tournament.  He got progressively better each inning with 14 pitches thrown in the second, 13 in the third, then 12, and only seven in the last.  His complete game win thrilled the coaches because Stockman was nursing on a sore arm.

"He was a most pleasant surprise," Rivera said. "He did not strike that many out, but he placed the ball well and the last three inning were three and three down."

Gonzales had a lot of help from his friends in the 19-4 five inning win over Seminole.  Everybody hit well, Stockman with a homer and four RBI's Lance Porter knocked three in and had a home run, and of course Porras delivered 3 RBI's and was 4 for 5.  Jesus Pedroza was 2 for 4 with a double, sophomore Chris Collins was 2 for 3, and Miguel Gonzales had a three RBI triple.

"We hit the ball well," the head coach said. "I guess we used them all up in that game."

The championship game Saturday against Presidio left Rivera and his staff in a predicament.  With district play starting this week, should they pitch Stockman and perhaps even Porras, or saved them?  The coaches decided to give Porter the start, and they were not disappointed.

The senior right-hander held a good hitting Blue Devil to only three hits, going the distance again and proving he could be called upon when needed.  Unfortunately, Presidio's ace, Macias, had the Loboes' number.   Monahans hit the ball hard at times, but always right at a Devil.  Presidio scored one in the first, one in the second, and the tiebreaker in the bottom of the sixth.

Presidio celebrated the win as if it were the World Series, but Rivera told his kids the real competition starts this week.

"I was very happy with the way we completed," he said.  "Now we have a tough stretch in front of us.  Kermit can play, Fort Stockton has been playing well, and Pecos is young, but they will play good against us every time.  The big one is this first one Friday night."

Because of injuries and sore-armed pitches, Rivera and Seminole coach David Browning agreed to call off Tuesday's game in Seminole.  Game time Friday for the district opener with Presidio here is 5:00 pm.