The Levelland Lobos baseball team hosted the Levelland WIT Classic this past Thursday through Saturday, posting a 3-2 record across five games.
The Lobos faced the Tulia Hornets in their tournament opener, losing 7-4, after some defensive struggles. They outhit Tulia, 7-3, but they committed seven more errors, leading to the loss.
Standouts at the plate against Tulia included Javier Ruiz going 2/3 with a triple and two runs scored, Jake Potter going ½ with a runbatted- in and a walk, and RJ Mireles going ½ with a walk.
On the mound against Tulia, Tobias Gavina pitched three innings and struck out two batters while only surrendering three earned runs, Ian Rivera pitched an inning with a strike out and Javier Ruiz pitched an inning with a strike out.
In their second matchup, the Lobos fell to the Borger Bulldogs, 4-2, as they couldn’t quite get their bats going to back-up some strong pitching.
Standouts at the plate against Borger included Jake Potter going ½ with a double, two stolen bases and a run scored, Kade Pemberton going ½ with a double, and RJ Mireles with two walks.
On the mound against Borger, Kane Rice pitched three innings and struck out three batters while only surrendering three earned runs, followed by Boston Win- field who pitched a scoreless frame and Javier Ruiz who pitched two innings.
In their third matchup, the offensive flood gates were opened for Levelland, as they dominated Perryton, 18-2, behind nine hits and seven walks.
Standouts at the plate against Perryton included Abram Arteaga going 2/3 with three RBI’s, a home run, a double, a stolen base and a walk, RJ Mireles go- ing 2/4 with five RBI's and two doubles, Javier Ruiz going 2/3 with three runs scored, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base, and Boston Winfield going ¼ with four RBI’s and a double.
On the mound against Perryton, Arteaga pitched four
innings, striking out five bat ters while only surrendering one earned run on two hits, followed by Braylon Delcampo who pitched a scoreless frame while striking out two batters.
In their fourth matchup, the Lobos kept the hits coming, recording nine in their 6-3 win over the Lubbock Christian Eagles.
Standouts at the plate against Lubbock Christian included Jeron Salinas going 2/3 with an RBI and a double, RJ Mireles going 2/3 with an RBI and a double, Jake Potter going ½ with an RBI, a double and a walk, and Boston Winfield going ½ with an RBI and a walk.
On the mound against Lubbock Christian, Potter pitched the full game and earned the win, striking out six batters, while surrendering no earned runs and two hits.
In their final matchup, Levelland closed out the tournament strong with their third win in a row, beating the Hereford Whitefaces, 11-1.
Following the conclusion of the WIT Classic, Levelland Head Baseball Coach Chris Portwood reflected on his team going 3-2 in tournament play.
“The boys had some growing pains this weekend. They battled through some highs and lows,” Coach Portwood said. “They stuck with their routine, stuck with their teammates, battled the grind and came out on top. Victory belongs to those boys in the arena. I’m so proud of my group.”
Coach Portwood would also go on to express his appreciation for the Levelland community and its support of the baseball program, calling it the “very best around” and “very rich in baseball culture.”
Levelland is now 5-7 overall early on in the season. They will be back in action on Thursday and Friday to play in the Randy Keller Memorial Tournament in Amarillo.