(Edinburg, Texas)-At Edinburg Economedes HS, senior Justin Navarro scored the winning run on a passed ball to put Edinburg Vela up 2-1 in the fifth inning and the Sabercats would seal their victory over 32-5A Brownsville Veterans Memorial 3-1 to win the Class 5A Bi-District Baseball Championships. But, the victory came with a price too. Navarro was ejected for unsportsmanship after crossing home plate and he talked about that taunting moment afterwards. “I should not have not have done that,’ said Navarro. “But, my coach reminded me that I’m a senior and I needed to show leadership.”
With the win, the Sabercats (23-10) are headed to the UIL Class 5A Area Baseball Championships against 29-5A Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (27-6-1) this weekend with Game One set for Friday at 6:00 p.m. in the Best-of-Three series, all at Hebbronville High School. For Navarro, he went on to talk about his coach and the many times he is reminded about having fun, despite the struggles that Sabercats head coach, Jaime Perez has survived this season. “He’s my coach and we’ve been together for four years. He battled cancer this season, and together, we won that battle with our coach,” added Navarro. Perez praised his senior player. “Justin (pauses, emotional), he’s special. He has been with us for a longtime. He has been there for me as player and friend. Today, we won this battle on the field,” said an emotional Sabercats head coach. On the mound, Sabercats senior pitcher Jake Dufner went the distant to pick up his first series win. The winner will meet 30-5A La Joya Palmview or 31-5A Sharyland Pioneer in the third round of the playoffs. (HSSMImages)
Pictured are Justin Navarro and Jake Dufner, seniors with the Edinburg Vela Sabercats, sweeping their series over Brownsville Veterans on Saturday. (HSSMImages)