Sometimes, fewer is better. Frankford won, 5-4.
"We're going to go back and forth, talking trash. It's going to be fun," said leftfielder Hector Cerda, one of the Pioneers' heroes.
Pause. Smile. "Well, maybe not for them. I hope they don't take it very, very personally."
Cerda, Frankford's only lefthanded hitter, went 3-for-3 (all singles) in the No. 7 hole and two of those base knocks drove in runs. Another Redbird, junior righthander Omar Cruz, was able to go the distance despite allowing six hits (of nine total) and three runs in the last two innings.
Four of those hits were crunched in the last frame, and they produced two runs, but a 6-4-3 doubleplay, which immediately followed a fouled-off bunt attempt, helped immensely and Cruz wrapped things up, with help from catcher Eduardo "Cheese" Sanchez, on a strikeout/gun-to-first combo.
As the Pioneers formed the ever-popular pile of humanity, second baseman Ricky Alvarez backed away briefly and performed a backflip. Soon, coach Juan Namnun, with maybe 2 minutes in between, was being doused by buckets of ice and a few minutes after that, as the Pioneers began to roar during a team-photo opportunity, Namnun yelled, mindful that his starting lineup included just one senior, "Hey, don't get too excited. Because we're going to do it again next year, too!"
Much later, when asked whether Cruz or Edison's batters had an advantage, with the Redbirds connection in mind, Namnun said, "I would have to say the pitcher. There's always that uncertainty of not knowing what's coming. Plus, the pitcher has an idea of what the batter can handle."
Said the 5-9, 155-pound Cruz: "The advantages go both ways, really. I know how they bat, but they know how I pitch. I didn't pay much attention to that. I just worked my inside-outside routine. I go by location [more than velocity]."
