After defeating the Celina Bobcats on Wednesday night 9-0, the Sinton Pirates are moving on in the Class 4A State Tournament Final.
The team is excited to be in the final, given last year, they were eliminated from the tournament in the semi-final game.
It all started with a six-run first inning that kept them in the lead for the remainder of the contest.
"It took off a lot of pressure, and helped build our confidence going into the rest of the game,” Sinton outfileder Rene Galvan said.
Thanks to the healthy lead, Sinton Pitcher Blake Mitchell settled in nicely for the rest of the game.
On the mound, Mitchell pitched a complete game shutout, giving up only three hits in the process.
"There’s a lot of confidence out there when the guys go out there and swing the bats early," Mitchell said.
He also helped at the dish, knocking in two of the nine total runs scored on the night.
Because of Mitchell's dominant performance, the Pirates now have every other pitcher available for the championship game.
“Blake was the guy we know could come out here, has an electric fastball and great stuff to keep us in a game," Pirates head coach Adrian Alaniz said. "I’m just super proud of his performance, he’s a dog out there, and wanted everything to go right."
Now it's all eyes on the prize, as the Pirates are looking for their first state title since 2002.
“We don’t want a necklace, we want to come back (to Sinton) with some hardware,” Galvan said.
Meanwhile, coach Alaniz was also taking in the moment, being back at Disch-Falk field.
It's the same field he played on in the early 2000's as a pitcher for the University of Texas Longhorns.
It's also the same place he threw a no-hitter against Red River rival Oklahoma in 2005.
Being back in the place he accomplished so much, he could not ask for a better field to play the state title game, with the team he coaches.
"It’s a whirlwind of emotions for me, but my focus is these kids," Alaniz said. "My job is to make sure they’re prepared to do what they want to do and achieve their goals. Hopefully, we’ll come out tomorrow and do just that."
The state title game will be played Thursday at Disch-Falk at 6:30 p.m. The Pirates will be taking on Argyle, for the Class 4A title.
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