Yoemen sweep Lorena, set for Diboll in regional semifinals
The Cameron Yoemen baseball team swept the Lorena Leopards to head on to the regional semifinals last weekend.
The Yoemen traveled to Lake Belton and swept the series with Lorena 2-0 to advance to the regional semifinals. They will take on the Diboll Lumberjacks in the regional semifinals. Game 1 will be on Thursday at 7 p.m., Game 2 will be on Saturday at 4 p.m., and if needed, Game 3 will be played 30 minutes later. All games will be played at Cy Ranch High School in Cypress. The stadium is located at 10700 Fry Road in Cypress.
Game 1 of the quarterfinals was on Thursday, and Cameron came out on top, winning 12-5 with big help from a seven run seventh inning to pull away. Cameron took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Tracer Lopez advanced to third base on a wild pitch, then came home to score on that same pitch.
Lorena clawed back to score three runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead. Lorena’s big inning was compiled by a single, a sacrifice fly, and a double. After Cameron scored a run in the top of the fifth inning, the Leopards extended their lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Yoemen evened things up at five in the top of the sixth inning.
Bobby Borgas doubled on a ground ball to left field, then Armando Reyes hit an RBI ground out, scoring a run. Cameron reclaimed the lead late with a massive seven run seventh inning to make the score 12-5. The game was tied at five with Cameron batting in the top of the seventh when Dillan Akin singled on a hard ground ball to left field, scoring one run. The rest of the runs came from a fielding error by Lorena, a bases loaded walk by Landon Greene, and singles from Bobby Borgas, Jaidyn Sanchez, and Ryan Host.
The Yoemen racked up 15 hits on the day. Ryan Host, Bobby Borgas, Tracer Lopez, Dillan Akin, and Marino Cardona each had multiple hits for Cameron. Borgas and Host each managed three hits to lead the team. Brannon McCall started the game for Cameron. He surrendered five runs on eight hits over five innings, striking out seven and walking one. Tracer Lopez entered in relief and pitched the Yoemen to victory. He went two innings, allowing no runs on one hit and striking out two.
The Yoemen came back on Saturday for Game 2 with one goal, finish the series in game 2. Cameron did just that as they defeated the Leopards 9-3 to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
“Well one, it’s hot,” Coach Hector Delgadillo said. “We want to play one game and not take it to a game three. I think our kids understand that. We’re learning how to close out a series, and that’s huge for us. So coming out here with the mindset that we’re playing one game, we got Landon Greene on the mound, and that gives us the best chance to do so. Our bats came through again and that was huge for us.”
After Lorena scored a run in the top of the first inning, Cameron responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning. Cameron scored on a sacrifice fly by Brannon McCall and a hard hit double by Dillan Akin in the first inning. Lorena answered back with a run in the second inning for a score of 3-2, but the Yoemen put up three runs in the third inning to take a 6-2 lead. Jaidyn Sanchez and Armando Reyes each had RBIs in the big inning.
The Yoemen added to their lead with another two runs in the fourth inning off a mammoth double by Marino Cardona and a single by Borgas. Cameron capped off the game with a single by Greene on a hard ground ball to center field for a commanding 9-2 lead. The Leopards added one more run, but Cameron sealed the victory 9-3 to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Cameron totaled 13 hits in the game. Ryan Host, Tracer Lopez, Bobby Borgas, Armando Reyes, and Marino Cardona each collected multiple hits for Cameron. Host went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the team in hits.
“We always talk about having a good approach and putting some quality at bats together,” Delgadillo said. “We were able to take some pitches early in the count, and when they made a mistake we were able to put a good bat on it. That’s all we can ask for from our kids. We’re always pushing for good (quality) AB’s and I think it showed today.”
Landon Greene got the win for the Yoemen. He lasted all seven innings, allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out three and walking one.
“That’s what we ask our pitchers to do,” Delgadillo said. “We know they’re going to hit the ball and put it in play. We’re going to make a few errors here and there, that’s just baseball. Our kids kind of put that behind them and we look towards the next pitch. Same for our guys on the mound that they’re able to do that, and that helps a ton; getting out of jams and then for us to come back and use that momentum on the offensive side.”
Coach Delgadillo and his team understands that Diboll will be a tough opponent, but understands there are only tough opponents the rest of the way. He also feels the experienced gained from their regional finals run last year can only help his team going into the series.
“I think the experience is huge,” he said. “I think that’s something that we lacked last year and this year it just gives us a sense of confidence when we come out here and play. Whether we lose Game 1 or win Game 1, we’re still able to come out in Game 2 and battle. Experience for us with this group of kids definitely helps and goes a long way. I think our kids understand that now and we can just play with confidence.”
Up next, Cameron will take on the Diboll Lumberjacks in the regional semifinals with Game 1 being Thursday, May 26, at 7 p.m. at Cy Ranch High School in CyFair ISD. Game 2 will be Saturday, May 28, at 4 p.m. followed by Game 3 if needed.
The stadium is located at 10700 Fry Road in Cypress.