6A BASEBALL: STRAKE MAKES FIRST STATE TOURNEY.
Following the final out, the players ran from the dugout around the field and dogpiled around pitcher Andy Leon as other players dumped the water coolers on them.
The Strake Jesuit Crusaders beat the Jersey Village Falcons 9-3 in Game 2 of the 6A Region III final at Cy Falls High School to advance to the state tournament for the first time in school history.
“Words can’t really describe it,” said Leon, who retired the Falcons in order in the top of the seventh inning to cap off a complete game. “Seeing all your teammates running out, dumping water on you, there’s nothing like that. There’s no other group of guys I’d rather do it with.”
Strake Jesuit had won the first game of the best-ofthree series 8-2 earlier Friday after Game 1 had been postponed on Thursday by rain.
The Crusaders’ wins in the regional final series were emblematic of their dominance throughout the playoffs. Through the first five series, Strake Jesuit is 10-1 with a run differential of 58-27. Their only loss came in the first game of the regional semifinal series against Tompkins 8-1. The Crusaders won the next two games to advance.
“We talked about being mentally tough,” said Strake Jesuit coach Raul Garcia-Rameau. “We’ve had strong pitching throughout the year, so we felt really good about our pitching staff being deep.
Our backs have been against the wall since the middle of district.”
Strake started District 23-6A play 2-2 and was 4-3 through the first half before going 6-1 to make the playoffs.
In the deciding game on Friday, the Crusaders got off to an early 3-0 lead after two innings. They added eight runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
Leon had the big hit with a two-run double.
“He threw me a first pitch fastball,” Leon described. “I was sitting first pitch fastball. I just swung, and the rest is history.”
Leon is among the 14 seniors on the team who went through graduation on May 22.
Garcia-Rameau tells those players that, while they are school alumni, they are not baseball alumni yet.
“I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else with the beginning of my summer,” proclaimed Leon.
Strake Jesuit will play at the state tournament on Friday in Round Rock.