MISSION — The La Joya Palmview Lobos secured their first district title since 2017 by defeating the Roma Gladiators 4-1 in District 30-5A competition Friday at La Joya Palmview High School.
The Lobos, the No. 7-ranked team in Class 5A in the latest Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association poll, improved to 23-1 overall and 9-0 in district play. Roma, locked into the No. 2 seed in 30-5A, dropped to 14-11 overall and 6-3 in district.
“I told our guys that Roma was getting hot at the end. They worked hard and they’re a great ball club, so I told our guys we can’t let (the district title) get away from our grasp,” Palmview head coach Manuel Garcia said. “It was right there for us to take. We didn’t stop believing, our coaches didn’t stop believing — we just kept on playing. The kids and coaching staff did a great job.”
Roma struck first against Palmview after a sacrifice fly from Gabriel Garcia Jr. scored Davian Clarke during the top of the third inning.
Garcia, who started on the mound for the Gladiators, impressed early by working his way out of jams during each of the first three innings as Palmview left six runners on base.
During the fourth, however, the Lobos finally broke through.
Palmview’s Chris Chapa and Anakin Robles both delivered RBI singles during the bottom of the fourth to pull ahead 2-1. EZ Puente then followed with a sacrifice fly RBI. The Lobos plated another run during the bottom of the fifth on an error.
Palmview’s Chris Perez threw a complete game, striking out 11 while allowing one earned run on four hits and three walks.
Roma’s Garcia kept the Lobos off the board during the first three innings before exiting during the fifth. Garcia surrendered three earned runs on four hits and six walks while striking out five in 4.2 innings.
The Lobos can complete a perfect run through league play by defeating Roma in Game 2 of their home-and-home series, scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Roma High School.
“We know we’re going into their house and it’s going to be a tough game again. But we accomplished one goal: win a district title,” Garcia said. “Now we’re going to go after a perfect district season and we’re not going to let up.”
