PERRYTON - The Pampa Harvesters (10-4-1) continue to come up big in close games, now as road warriors, knocking off Perryton 6-5 to stay undefeated in District play at 3-0.
“Playing in Perryton is tough, I don’t care what sport it is,” Head Coach Austin Samulowitz said. “It’s a tough place to play. For us to go there on a Tuesday, a day where conditions aren’t great and beat their ace, it’s a hard thing to do.It was a really big win for us.”
Senior Boston Botello put the Pampa Harvesters on top in the seventh inning with a grounder that resulted in a fielder’s choice, allowing Junior Maxwell Neff to score and make it a one-run, 5-4 game. Senior Judsen Hancock added another run for the Green Team two batters later after forcing the Perryton mistake on a grounder.
Perryton got a run back in the bottom half of the 7th, but the Harvester defense held strong and came away with the victory.
“What our guys are doing are not easy,” Samulowitz said. “They are doing it the hard way, but they are getting it done. To grind out games like this is a testament to their character and toughness.”
“All of the things they’ve been through the last few years with the transition of the districts, bringing in all of the Canyon schools and we’ve had a tough transition. For them to continue to show up, fight and be successful, is a true testament to their character.”
The Harvesters took the lead early in the game as Junior Jarren Hill hit a line drive to right field, bringing senior Isaiah Estrada home and extending the Pampa lead to 2-0. Two batters later, Senior Brooks Barton had a base hit on a grounder to center field, scoring Hill and Neff and making it 4-0 Pampa.
Hill, who’s hitting .250 with two doubles and 10 RBI, has taken ownership of this squad and Samulowitz said is a leader in the dugout.
“Jarren is our leader. He brings his competitiveness, his confidence and is not afraid of a big situation,” Samulowitz said. “Any time we need something from him like a sacrifice bunt or a sac fly, he gets it done.
“Last night, Max (Neff) got on in the last inning, Jarren put a bunt down on the first base line and put a lot of pressure on the defense and he got on. That put us with guys on first and third, which allowed us to score Max on the next batter. He brings his leadership and his competitiveness. He’s a great leader on the team and is in the No. 2 hole for a reason.”
The Harvesters play in one of the toughest Districts in Texas, but Samulowitz said his squad is not cowering down to the competition and this 3-0 start is a result of that grit.
“We’ve got one of the toughest districts in the whole state, so every win matters,” Samulowitz said. “It’s almost like we are playing playoff baseball three games into District. It’s a playoff environment.
“It’s so much fun to coach in. Our kids are finding ways to win. If we do make the playoffs, it’ll really pay off because we’ve been playing tough games the whole time. It’s an awesome district, tough district, there are no gimmes. You have to show up and play your best every time, because if you don’t, other teams will make you look really bad.”
The gauntlet continues on Saturday, when they host Randall at Harvester Field at 5 p.m.
“Coach Propst does a great job with them,” Samulowitz said. “It doesn’t matter who they graduate, they are always going to field a good baseball team.
“We know they are going to come in here talented, and we have to play our best game. Anybody can beat anybody in this district on any given day. We know we’ve got to take care of the little things and the details if we want to beat that good Randall Team.”
STAT ROUND UP
Junior Max Neff went 3-4 with a double and three runs scored; Junior Jarren Hill went 2-3 with an RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases; Senior Boston Botello had two RBI; Senior Brooks Barton went 2-4 with two RBI; Senior Judesen Hancock went 1-4; Senior Noah Anguiano went 1-2 and Senior Isaiah Estrada went 1-3 with a run scored.
Isaiah Anguiano pitched 4.1 innings with six hits, four runs, three earned runs, three walks and five strikeouts; Estrada pitched 2.2 innings with two hits, one run scored, one earned run, a walk and six strikeouts.
