History Makers: McAllen Memorial routs crosstown rival, punches ticket to Sweet 16
McALLEN — Just over 30 years ago McAllen Memorial head coach Roque Cortinas helped guide the Mustangs to the third round of the UIL state playoffs as a player.
The then-junior was a part of the last Mustangs team to qualify for Round 3, with McAllen Memorial last making the round in 1990.
Fast forward 34 years and Cortinas is part of another historic Mustangs run, this time leading McAllen Memorial into the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history following a 12-2 victory over crosstown rival McAllen High on Saturday at McAllen Memorial High School.
The win secured a 2-1 series win over the Bulldogs in the best-of-3 Region IV-5A quarterfinal series, with the Mustangs earning back-to-back victories to secure their spot in the fourth round.
“The first two games were tough,” Cortinas said. “I think a little bit of the crowd and the nerves kind of got the best of both teams. We had a good talk this morning about being back home and trying to finish it at our house. We just tried to get back to what we’ve been doing to get us to this point.”
The first two games of the series between the Bulldogs and Mustangs were low scoring affairs, with the two teams splitting the series while combining for just seven runs.
Game 3 proved a completely different story, with the Mustangs tying the two teams combined run total in the second inning allowing.
The seven-run second inning was the catalyst behind the Mustangs 10-run victory, with five different players recording hits during the inning.
The Mustangs added to their lead with one run during the fourth and a pair of runs in the fifth to take a commanding 11-2 lead heading into the sixth inning.
A pair of strikeouts by Hugo Rodriguez during the top of the sixth put the Mustangs in position to end the game in the bottom half of the inning, needing only one run to run rule their crosstown rival.
The Mustangs did just that, with Jose Rivera grounding a ball to left field to bring in Etziel Gonzalez for the final run.
“We locked in these three days,” Rodriguez said. “After our first loss we just kept our heads up. We knew what we had to do to get better for our team. We never held our heads down. We kept working. Whenever everyone thought we were out, we just kept working behind the scenes.”
The Mustangs finished the game with a staggering 10 hits in six innings, with Erik Serrano, Jacob Sanchez and Jose Rivera each accounting for two, along with two RBIs each.
Rodriguez took the win on the mound for the Mustangs, recording 12 strikeouts in six innings of action.
McAllen Memorial is set for its first ever Sweet 16 appearance next week, taking on the Kerrville Tivy Antlers at a date, time and location to be determined.
“We’re going to take tomorrow off and regroup because we had a long three game series,” Rodriguez said. “Then we’re going to come back Monday strong and as motivated as ever. We’re probably going to be underdogs again, but that just gives us extra fuel to be better and do better as a team.”
