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Sinton Pirates are ready for familiar foes in playoffs starting Friday night

Posted at 7:13 PM, May 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-16 20:22:38-04

The excitement is building for two of the all-time great baseball programs in South Texas history meeting Friday night in the state playoffs.

Two arch-rivals, Sinton and Robstown, will meet in a best-of-three Class 4A region quarterfinal series starting tomorrow night at Cabaniss Field. On Monday we featured Robstown and tonight we feature the Sinton Pirates.

They are the district champions with 29 wins and counting this season.

Coach Adrian Alaniz is in his fourth year as head coach and already has chalked up a major milestone last Saturday when he picked up his 100th career win.

And it was a huge victory because after his Pirates fell behind one game to none against Cuero, they rallied to win the next two to capture the series.

So now they get Robstown in a rematch in the series everyone wants to see.

The Pirates beat the Cottonpickers 5-3 and 2-0 in their two previous meetings this season.

This series shapes up to be a classic.

“To me, the mental part of the game is going to be key,” Alaniz said.“Try not to do too much in a big environment and just focusing on trying to execute good baseball on the offensive and defensive side.

“We have to play the game like we have been playing throughout the year. We should not try to change anything because of the opponent, the venue or the round of the postseason. I feel like if we are level-headed, we should have a really good chance to be successful so I am looking forward to the matchup.”

The matchup between the two blood rivals raises the stakes even more for pitcher Zach Moses.

“The atmosphere is going to be crazy,” Moses said. “Lots of people there, this is our rivalry here so every time we play Robstown, we get a full house, It’s loud and all the noise just makes everything better.

Catcher/second baseman Matt Segovia says Sinton’s togetherness is a big strength in the playoffs.

“As a senior, one thing that stands out is team chemistry,” Segovia said. “It’s really a family unit around here and everyone plays for something bigger than themselves and we feel like we always have something to prove.”

There’s no question both teams know each other well. And I agree with Coach Alaniz, the mental game will certainly be a big factor.

Here’s the schedule:

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

CLASS 4A REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

ROBSTOWN VS. SINTON

Game 1, Friday at Cabaniss Field, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2, Saturday at Cabaniss Field, 5 p.m.

GAME 3, 30 minutes after the completion of Game 2, if needed.