After a loss in the opening round of the 2010 Heartland Conference Baseball Tournament in Austin, Texas, the Incarnate Word Cardinals found themselves playing for their season every game the rest of the way.
On Sunday, facing off against Texas-Permian Basin (the team that had defeated UIW in the opener, 8-4), the Cardinals defeated the Falcons twice at Disch-Falk Field on the campus of University of Texas – 4-3 in game one and 13-9 in game two.
In the decisive game two, Incarnate Word fell behind early, 2-1, but jumped out ahead 7-2 in the second inning with a six-run outburst that included five hits and left three more potential runs on the bases.
Things got started in that inning with a single by Jackson Woodruff, who then scored on an RBI double by Daniel Qualls. Qualls was then advanced to second by a single off of the bat of Hector Flores and then the bases were loaded when Drew Hamilton was hit by a pitch. With the bases full, Tyler Hicks put a ball into right field for an RBI and the bases remained loaded for Matt Flores, who brought home Hamilton and Hector Flores with an RBI double to left-center.
UTPB changed pitchers, but the Cardinals kept scoring as the new pitcher walked Steven Vidaurri, Matt Roohan and Reno Malay in succession to score two more runs.
Incarnate Word added six more runs along the way in spurts of one and two runs – which would prove to be a very good thing as the Falcons fought back in the ninth inning with five runs in the ninth (closing the gap from 13-4 to 13-9).
Keith Vasquez pitched his most-impressive game of the season when it counted the most – going eight complete innings and allowing only nine hits with five strikeouts. He was replaced by Trey McCarty in the ninth inning with bases loaded and McCarty was able to get one out before Alfredo Caballero was sent in to stop the late threat by UTPB.
Caballero, like McCarty, went into the game with bases loaded and after allowing a batter on-base with a walk got a strikeout and a fly out to earn his 10th save of the year. Not only does Caballero's tenth save make him the all-time leader in Saves in a season for Incarnate Word, but it also gives him 10 saves in his career, which is third-most all-time at UIW.
Leading at the plate for UIW, Hicks was 4-for-6 with two RBIs while Qualls was 3-for-4 with two RBIS and Hector Flores was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Matt Roohan was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
In the first game, the Cardinals jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning before UTPB scored 3 in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap.
Elroy Urbina and Justin Kanas combined for eight innings of work, with Urbina striking out four Falcons and Kanas punching out three. Senior closer Alfredo Caballero came out in the ninth inning to get his ninth save of the season, striking out two-of-five batters faced.
At the plate, UIW was led by Hector Flores (3-for-5) and Jackson Woodruff (2-for-2 including a double).
Additionally, the Cardinals had several players recognized at the tournament for the All-Tournament Team.
Hector Flores (second base), Reno Malay (third base), Tyler Hicks (outfield), Jackson Woodruff (designated hitter) joined Caballero (relief pitcher) on the all-tourney squad, but Caballero was also named the Tournament Most Valuable Player – earning three saves in five games (in the two non-save appearances, one was a losing effort and the other saw UIW too far ahead to put Caballero in a position for the save).
Now, the Cardinals will wait to find out where and who they will be playing in the South Central Regional Tournament.
2010 Heartland Conference Tournament
All-Tournament Team
P Felix Cardenas, UT-Permian Basin
P Jeff Rohrbach, St. Edward's
RP Alfredo Caballero, Incarnate Word
C Ryan Morrow, St. Mary's
1B Dexter Moreno, St. Edward's
2B Hector Flores, Incarnate Word
SS Tim Redden, St. Edward's
3B Reno Malay, Incarnate Word
OF Chandler Mosser, St. Edward's
OF Chris Wagner, UT-Permian Basin
OF Tyler Hicks, Incarnate Word
DH Jackson Woodruff, Incarnate Word
UTIL Evan Gattis, UT-Permian Basin
MVP Alfredo Caballero, Incarnate Word
