By Mark May
The RGV Elite team’s recipe of poise, determination and small ball has cooked up a winning formula as they head to the Pony League World Series, which starts Friday.
Thanks to back-to-back comeback victories, the Elite are heading to Washington, Pennsylvania, for the Pony League World Series — the fourth straight season a Brownsville team has qualified to represent the Lone Star State.
“We are very well prepared,” co-coach J.C. Garza said. “I know we are facing the best in the United States, so it’s going to be tough.”
The Elite, whose players cannot be more than 14 years old, will play a team to be named from the West Zone at 4:30 p.m. Friday. All games will be live streamed on mlb.com.
The RGV Elite are 15-0 but it has not been easy. The season started in late May and they won the championship played in Brownsville near the end of June. That sent them to Youngsville, Louisiana, for the South Zone Regional title.
In Louisiana, they reeled off victories against Kinder, Louisiana (4-1), Houston NASA Green (5-0) and League City, Texas (5-0). It was a double-elimination tournament, so League City won a game to stay alive and face the Elite once more.
League City built a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the last inning (Pony League teams play seven innings or two hours, whichever comes first). That’s when the magic started.
The Elite scored two runs to tie the game at 3. With Alexis Lopez on first base, batter Jessie Rios connected.
“It was a little blooper behind second base,” Garza recalled. “With the hit, (Lopez) advanced to third. They didn’t hit the cutoff man (a throwing error) and the runner came home.”
It was a walk-off 4-3 victory for the Elite. That sent them into the South Zone championship against unbeaten Houston NASA Orange on Aug. 1.
Once again, the Elite found themselves trailing, this time 2-0 in the seventh inning. The Elite was able to generate base runners and a hit by Jeremiah Vela brought in two runs (scored by Jorge Garza and Lopez) to tie the game at 2.
With Vela at first base and Nehemias Garcia at second, the Elite rolled the dice and executed a successful double steal. An intentional walk then loaded the bases.
That’s when Elite coaches called for the suicide squeeze.
Batter Miguel Soto used a deft touch with his bat to lay down a soft bunt timed perfectly with Nehemias Garcia charging home from third. The result, an unforgettable 3-2 victory.
A video of the winning play has received more than 1,500 views on social media, Garza said. Besides Garza, Ruben Lopez and Jose Garcia also coach the Elite.
“We’ve faced great players, great coaching (but) the kids just played their hearts out,” Garza said. “Our pitching came through, our hitting came through. Our players never give up.”
Playing against high school players earlier in the season helped the Elite improve their skills and raise their confidence.
“To train these kids and get them prepared, we’ve put them in five or six high school tournaments,” Garza said. “They’ve played against strong pitching, strong batting. We got second place twice.”
The team is now ready to play for the national title. While the Pony League Directors have helped with some expenses, the team is trying to raise money for the cross-country trip. They held a car wash as a fundraiser Saturday.
To help, contact Coach Lopez (956-278-1754) or team mom Genelle Vela (956-458-8912). They also have a Cash App account. Coach Garza expressed his appreciation for all the parents and sponsors who have donated to the team.
Other teams in the Pony League World Series (a double-elimination tournament) include Johnstown, Penn.; Bay County, Mich.; Washington County, Penn., Youngstown, Ohio; Bayamon, Puerto Rico plus an East Zone and West Zone representative.
Garza said left-handed pitcher Javier Garcia will likely start Friday. Garcia’s twin brother, Xavier, also pitches on the team and is a right-hander.
