The Levelland Lobos played host to the Estacado Matadors for a district baseball matchup this past Friday night at the Lobo Diamond, resulting in the Lobos falling 7-0 after a late push from Estacado.
The game was scoreless through five frames and appeared to be in route to a tight finish before Estacado scored three runs in the sixth inning and four runs in the seventh inning, which the Lobos failed to answer.
In the team statistics, Estacado bested Levelland 8-5 in hits, 4-2 in walks and 3-4 in errors committed.
Standouts at the plate for the Lobos included catcher RJ Mireles going 2/4 with two doubles, designated hitter Ian Rivera going 2/3, center fielder Jeron Salinas going 1/3 with a walk and left fielder Kai Martinez with a walk.
On the mound for the Lobos, Boston Winfield tossed the bulk of the game, pitching five innings and holding Estacado to two earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out three batters. Jake Potter would pitch 1.2 innings, allowing zero earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out four batters. Rivera would also record a strikeout.
The loss drops the Lobos to 12-14 overall and 4-5 in district play, which puts them in a three-way tie for third place in the 4A District 5 baseball standings with Estacado and Snyder.
“This one hurts. There’s no way around it,” Levelland Head Baseball Coach Chris Portwood said. “Our guys poured everything they had into this game, and to come up short in a moment like that is tough to swallow. You could see how much it meant to them—every pitch, every at-bat, every inning. That’s a group that cares, and that’s a group that fought until the very end. But this game can be cruel sometimes. Friday didn’t go our way, and we have to own that. At the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of the heart, toughness and grit these players showed. This loss will stick with us for a while, but if we respond the right way, it’ll make us stronger.”
They’ll get their chance to bounce back from the loss early in the week on the road against Trinity Christian before traveling to play at Big Spring on Friday at 7 p.m.