The Levelland Lobos hosted the Snyder Tigers for a district baseball matchup this past Friday night at the Lobo Diamond, resulting in the Lobos losing 29-15 across eight innings.
The high scoring affair started off with Levelland leading 9-4 after three innings, followed by Snyder winning the fourth through sixth innings, 8-6, and then outscoring the Lobos 17-0 in the final two frames.
In the team stats, Levelland bested Snyder 6-11 in errors, while Snyder bested Levelland 23-10 in hits and 12-7 in walks draw to ultimately hand the Lobos the loss.
“Baseball is about time and timelessness, speed and grace, failure and loss, imperishable hope and coming home,” Levelland Head Baseball Coach Chris Portwood said. “It’s a very simple game, but you must catch it, throw it, and hit it better than the other team to win. I’m proud because we acted as gatekeepers of baseball last night, we did not sacrifice our integrity to win. We did not stop fighting. The group has made an impact on me and my family, along with our community. I’m so proud of this group.”
It was simply a tough night for pitching staff and team defense, which is bound to happen as Coach Portwood alluded to, but the Lobos can hold their heads high following a spectacular offensive performance.
Standout performances at the plate for Levelland included shortstop Jake Potter going 1/3 with three RBI’s, two walks, two runs scored, two stolen bases and a home run, center fielder Jeron Salinas going 2/6 with two RBI’s and two runs scored, left fielder Javier Ruiz going 2/6 with three runs scored and two stolen bases, Kai Martinez going ½ with two RBI’s, a double, a run scored and a stolen base, catcher RJ Mireles going 1/3 with an RBI, a double and a walk, and designated hitter Ian Rivera going 1/3 with two walks and a run scored.
The loss drops the Lobos to 7-11 overall and 0-2 in district play. They’ll be back in action early in the week against Estacado before traveling to face Nazareth on Saturday at 11 a.m.