Yoemen pick up critical win over Jarrell

Going into Tuesday’s 20-3A contest, the outlook was pretty simple for Cameron.  Win, and control your own destiny towards a playoff spot. Lose, and fall two games back and further out of the playoff picture.  

It was not pretty early on, but the Yoemen simply got it done in the end in what was a 7-5 win over the Jarrell Cougars from The Yards of Cameron. The win brings Cameron to 3-4, while Jarrell falls to 3-4 as both teams are now tied for the fourth spot in the standings one game into the second round of district.  

Through the first four innings of play, a total of 10 errors were up on the board, with each team saddled with five apiece.  

Yoe ace Jason Llanas was doing all that he could in the early going, as through four and a half innings his team trailed 5-2 despite not giving up an earned run. 

Llanas never wavered, as his team tied up the contest in the bottom half of the inning, and eventually went up 7-5 in the sixth. The junior also picked up his level of play, striking out five of the last six batters he faced in the final two innings.  

“We have to stay positive, regardless of what is happening,” said Llanas on the early miscues.  “We have to overcome all of that. This is a big win for us and hopefully we can keep this going and get a good spot in the playoffs.”

In the bottom of the sixth, Yoe shortstop and leadoff man Bryce Brashear got on base for the fourth time in the game with a single up the middle. The senior proceeded to steal his second base on the night, advancing to second. A Llanas single to center put runners on first and third before a wild pitch allowed Brashear to easily score the go-ahead and winning run.  

“Going into the bottom of the sixth, I knew I just had to get on base and that is the most important part,” said Brashear.  “Getting to second was crucial to either bunt or whatever we needed to do to get me over.  It was a crucial run that we needed to go ahead.”

Zack Andress brought in the seventh run with a dribbler to third, with the the throw home forcing the catcher’s foot off the plate.  

During the rough patch in the fourth when Jarrell took their three-run lead, Yoe head coach Hector Delgadillo told his team to not let the negatives take control of the game. 

“I called them and said you have to pick each other up,” said the coach.  “We are not trying to make mistakes and make those errors.  It’s baseball and it’s going to happen.”

It may be a long-shot for this team to win a district championship with Franklin still sitting undefeated, but it’s all about the next man up approach the rest of the way out.   

“At this point, our goal is to make the playoffs, whether we get fourth, third or second,” said Delgadillo.  “Who knows what could happen.  We could make a good run for it.  Like I told our boys, every game is a playoff game.  Now we have Franklin.  We are not going to worry about who we have next week.  We can beat anyone in the district and I think these kids understand that.”

Friday’s 20-3A Results: Franklin 3, Lexington 2; Rogers 5, Academy 3; Jarrell 10, Rockdale 6.  

Tuesday’s 20-3A Results: Cameron Yoe 7, Jarrell 5; Academy 13, Rockdale 4; Rogers at Franklin (Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.).

20-3A Standings: 1. Franklin (6-0), 2. Little River Academy (5-2), 3. Lexington (4-2), 4. Cameron Yoe (3-4), 4. Jarrell (3-4), 6. Rogers (2-4), 7. Rockdale (0-7).

TxHighSchoolBaseball.com’s 3A Top 25 (April 2): 1. Gateway Prep (18-1), 2. Central Heights (13-4-1), 3. Brock (15-2-1), 4. Beckville (16-2), 5. Bishop (14-6-1), 6. Edgewood (17-5), 7. Peaster (14-3), 8. Shallowater (16-1-3), 9. Falfurrias (14-3), 10. Hallettsville (17-2), 11. White Oak (14-4), 12. Pottsboro (11-3), 13. Wall (16-5-1), 14. Clifton (12-1-2), 15. Kirbyville (13-8), 16. Gunter (10-8-2), 17. Hughes Springs (15-2), 18. Troy (15-3), 19. Tidehaven (14-3), 20. Clyde (15-3), 21. Whitesboro (8-2-1), 22. Reagan County (16-5-1), 23. Maypearl (10-3-3), 24. New Diana (10-6), 25. Winnsboro (13-6).