Jags ride power to sweep in opening doubleheader with Dallas Christian College
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dallas Christian College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
|
Houston-Victoria | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 6 | 10 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dallas Christian College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
|
Houston-Victoria | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 12 | 13 | 1 |
UHV head coach Jonathan Stavinoha told his team earlier in the week he needed more from them.
The message resonated with junior starting pitcher Mason Longoria and the rest of the Jaguars.
Longoria responded by striking out a career-high 10 batters in to lift UHV to a 6-0 win over Dallas Christian College in Game 1 of a four-game series Friday at Riverside Stadium. The Jaguars followed that up with a 12-2 win in Game 2.
The Victoria native felt good getting a good outing after weathering some tough performances in his previous two outings. He improved to 3-2 on the mound this year after his six innings of work against the Crusaders (4-10).
"Stav told me I needed to go out there and be a dog. I took it to heart," Longoria said. "The past two weekends have been rough, I didn't have my best stuff. But I know what I'm capable of and I need to do that every single time."
The Jaguars (11-6) put together 23 hits between the two games.
Kaden Fikac's solo home run, his third of the year, in the third inning highlighted the scoring in Game 1. He went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Raul Lopez was 1-for-3 with three RBIs in Game 1.
Hal Perez followed the offensive onslaught by going 2-for-2 with a pair of three-run homers in Game 2. The Camuy, Puerto Rico, native has now hit safely in six straight games.
Raul Lopez went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. The El Paso native was a home run shy of the cycle.
In total, nine Jaguars got hits in Game 2, including the first career hit for Alejandro Belo.
"It's always exciting to see some things happen and score runs," Stavinoha said. "We scored some ones, twos, threes, fours and fives. I mean, we put it together. I can't say enough about how, if one guy didn't get it done, the next guy was right there to pick him up."
Quinn Garcia and Caeleb Steffen each made their first career appearances on the mound for UHV in Game 2.
The series will conclude on Saturday with Terry Puhl Day and the team's annual barbecue plate sale and silent auction fundraiser.
The Jaguars will honor the former coach and Astros Hall of Famer with a pregame ceremony scheduled for 11:45 a.m. followed by a 12:15 p.m. first pitch.