Gonzalez pitches Robstown past Alice to start District 31-4A with win
ROBSTOWN — Esai Gonzalez has plenty of confidence in his curve ball and he showed it on Tuesday night against Alice at Steve Castro Field.
Gonzalez used it as an out pitch against multiple Coyote hitters on Tuesday and it paid off for the Cotton Pickers left-hander as he struck out 10 and allowed two hits in a 1-0 victory as the District 31-4A baseball season begins.
The victory helped Robstown (9-7-1, 1-0) pick up a key victory in a district race that will feature similar games as the season moves forward.
"I have a lot (of confidence in the curve ball), practice it all the time, reaching out getting it over," Gonzalez said. "Just my catcher and I trust my catcher that he's going to block it. It was a little pressure (late in the game) but I try to breath and stay pitching through it."
Gonzalez faced three innings where the Coyotes (8-9-1, 0-1) had runners in scoring position but he was able to work out of the jams, including two times with strikeouts.
"He's been solid all year, just pitched against some really tough teams," Robstown coach Elias Vasquez said. "He lost a couple of games there early, but against some really good competition so we knew he was going to be ready. He's kept us in every game he's pitched so far."
Tuesday's Highlights
The Cotton Pickers scored the game's lone run in the second inning when Derek Silva drove in Zarek Diaz with a single to center. Robstown had runners in scoring position in the third and sixth innings but could not put another run across.
Meanwhile, Alice had runners in scoring position in the first, second and sixth innings but was not able to score a run to tie the game or take the lead. Gonzalez, meanwhile, retired 13 straight batters from the second through the sixth innings.
Tuesday's Stars
No batter had multiple hits in the game as Alice starter Alejandro Acevedo was the hard-luck loser, throwing six innings and allowing one run on four hits with four strikeouts and one intentional walk. Thomas Hinojosa and Asevedo had the two hits for Alice.
Robstown's Diaz finished the night 1 for 2 with a run, and Silvas was 1 for 2 with the game's lone RBI. Christian Marroquin and Gonzalez each had hits for the Cotton Pickers.
They said it
Robtown pitcher Esai Gonzalez on the importance of the victory: "It sets the tone, I think it puts us up there."
Robstown coach Elias Vasquez on the importance of the win in district play: "It's big because it gets you rolling. I think this district is going to be tough all the way through, no matter who we play, people are going to come to play. I think everyone is pretty much equal, we've been battled tested (during) the preseason, played some pretty good team. But I know a lot of other teams as well and I think that's why sometimes the records are pretty lopsided. We know there's four or five really good teams out there and one team is going to be left out of the playoffs ... just take one game at a time and do we what we can do."
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: High School Baseball: Esai Gonzalez pitches Robstown past Alice
