Washington County holds on, edges Palmview
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
The Washington County team gathers at home plate to watch as their catcher, Nico Patragas, left, puts an exclamation point on his three-run homer that put them up 5-2 over Palmview, Texas in the fifth inning Tuesday afternoon at the Pony league World Series.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Sebastian Shulsky crows with a stand-up double for Washington County in the bottom of the sixth inning against Palmview, Texas.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Catcher Nico Patragas, left, and Ian Migyanko celebrate as Migyanko is driven in for the first Washington County run against Palmview, Texas.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Washington County second baseman Hayden Stack fires to first after fielding a grounder in the PONY World Series game against Palmview, Texas at Lew Hays Field on August 16.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Washington County second baseman Hayden Stack fields a grounder in the Pony League World Series game Tuesday against Palmview, Texas.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Washington County left fielder Matt Kocan hauls in deep fly against Palmview, Texas.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
First baseman Sam Stout looks for a play at the plate as right fielder L. J. Zidek looks on is disbelief as Palmview's Gilbert Rodriguez is called safe at first in the top of the seventh inning.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
The Washington County team celebrates its 6-5 win over Palmview, Texas, Tuesday at the Pony League World Series.
In its game against Palmview, Texas, Tuesday afternoon, Washington County led 6-2 going into the top of the seventh inning.
The common thought among those at Lew Hays Pony Field was that Washington County would win, and Nico Patragas’ three-run fifth-inning homer would go down as the play of the game.
In a way, that’s what happened. Washington County did win, and Patragas’ home run will remain a crucial play.
But the top of the seventh was so wild that those following the action will remember Washington County’s 6-5 win in the Pony League World Series, but many will remember that half inning more than anything else.
“I’m not even sure I can recap it right now,” Washington County manager Tyler Rubasky said minutes after the game ended.
“I felt like I was going to throw up,” Cayden Laskosky, who finished the game in relief, said.
“At first, I was hyped,” said Washington County starting pitcher Sebastian Shulsky, who pitched six-plus innings, allowing two hits and no earned runs. “Then, I was scared. Then after that last out, I went crazy. It was an amazing moment. I loved it.”
All Washington County needed was to get three outs without allowing four runs.
It almost didn’t happen.
The inning started with Palmview’s Osi Lopez reaching on an error.
Not ideal for Washington, but it didn’t yet give it much of a reason to be nervous, either.
The next batter, Ezekiel Hernandez, walked.
A little concerning, but Washington still had control of the game.
Palmview’s Nicolas Valdez then singled.
With the tying run at the plate, Washington had a problem.
After that, things got chaotic.
Anthony Rocha got hit by Laskosky’s pitch, scoring one run and cutting the deficit to three.
Laskosy got himself together momentarily and struck out Ryan Prepejcha.
The next batter, Gilbert Rodriguez Jr., singled to left field. Hernandez scored, and Valdez started to round third base before retreating.
The problem was, Rocha was at third, too.
As Rocha hustled back to second base, Valdez broke for home plate.
Patragas, Washington’s catcher, had Rocha dead between second and third but decided to throw home to try to get Valdez. M.J. Maruschak caught the throw but was nowhere near home plate.
Valdez scored easily, and it was 6-5.
Between the bottom of the fifth and the top of the seventh, Patragas looked like the hero. Then, his decision to throw home was in danger of helping Palmview come back.
Laskosky was determined not to let that happen.
“It’s like my dad and my mom always said ‘Just take deep breaths and focus,'” Laskosky said.
Laskosky focused. He got Daren Garica to pop up to second, and replays showed Washington second baseman Hayden Stack’s throw to first baseman Sam Stout beat Rodriguez to the bag, which would have been a game-ending double play. But the first-base umpire called Rodriguez safe, and the game played on.
The next batter, Eduardo Alcantar, who hadn’t hit yet in the world series, came to bat with two on and two out. It ended up being his only at-bat as he flew out to left fielder Matt Kocan, sending Washington through and Palmview out.
Other things happened in the game, too.
Washington County scored first in the fourth inning. With runners on second and third and one out, Maruschak flew out to center fielder Gilbert Rodriguez Jr. Rodriguez’s throw home meant to keep Ian Migyanko from scoring did the opposite, instead going over catcher Jack Wetters’ head and allowing the game’s first run to score.
Palmview took the lead in its half of the fourth when two runs came in on an error.
Washington answered in a big way in the fifth. First, it tied the game on an RBI groundout by Maruschak. Then, with two on, Patragas’s homer made it 5-2.
“I was just trying to get a fastball I could elevate, and I got that,” Patragas said.
Washington added another run in the 6th before the madness of the seventh.
Now, Washington County plays on. For the team to get to the championship game, it has to beat Monterrey, Mexico, tonight at 8 p.m. and then again tomorrow to reach the championship game.
It’s the first time a Washington team has won three games in a Pony World Series since 1998, when it last made it to the championship game.
Nobody on this year’s team was alive in 1998, and Rubasky was just a toddler.
“It’s incredible,” Rubasky said… “We have 15 very unique personalities, and somehow, it’s working. It’s come together, and it’s team baseball. Everybody has a role. Everybody does their job. It showed right there, and it’s showed this week.”
“It’s crazy,” Laskosky said. “This is a really good team. I feel like we have a really good shot to win it all.”
“This is a dream,” Shulsky, who remembers catching foul balls at Pony World Series games growing up, said. “To make this team and work hard.”
As Patragas pointed out, however, there’s still work to do.
“We’re not done yet,” Patragas said. “We’re Washington, and we’re going to keep going. It’s us vs. the world.”