ArchivesHM Distribution skipper Carlos Felix’s philosophy is simple: “In this league, if you don’t score in the first inning, then you get into a hole.”
 He may have missed this one, but HM Distribution’s Kevin Jimenez went 3-for-4, including two singles, a double and an RBI in his team’s 10-6 victory over Real Value Produce Friday night in Nogales. |
If the victory for the kids wasn’t sweet enough, some honey was added in the fact that Felix beat his nephew Chris, head coach for RVP, for the fifth of six tries during the regular season.
“It feels good.” Carlos Felix said. “After he won the first game of the season (6-5), I knew he was going to put up a battle; like a little family feud there, but I knew the kids could come around and score, and hold them to a low score.”
HM managed to bring at least one run across the plate in every inning, but holding RVP to only one run in the top of the third with bases loaded and one out was paramount.
“We had our number seven, eight and nine batters up, and unfortunately, they didn’t come through for us at the time,” Chris Felix said, “but sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce our way.”
“It came down to pitching and defense again,” explained Carlos Felix. “(HM pitcher) Kevin Jimenez started off good and then he got a little shaky there, but he held on and the defense came around to help him out.”
So, before the wheels came off, reliever Brian Garcia was called in to help Jimenez out after two and a third innings.
“He has been there for us all season long,” Carlos Felix said of Garcia. “As a starter and a reliever, he comes in and does his job.”
While Jimenez needed Garcia to give his team a boost on defense, it was Jimenez providing the boost on offense. He went 3-for-4 with two singles, a double and an RBI.
“I just hit the pitches outside, and then when they threw it inside, I pulled it,” he said.
Carlos Felix’s son Jordan added two RBIs for HM, while teammate Fernando Villegas added one.
RVP’s shining moment came when Luis Gonzalez nailed an inside-the-park homerun. Gonzalez was also called to the mound before the first inning was over to relieve starter Ralph Padilla, who was in trouble Friday from the word go.
“Ralphie, he’s our number one pitcher, but obviously tonight he didn’t have it,” Chris Felix said. “Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. And, sometimes we go away from thinking they’re 9- and 10-year-olds, too, and we think that they can go out there and pitch you a complete game. But, Luis came in and did the job. He picked up his teammate and got us out of that (first) inning.”
It proved too much to recover from, though.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t stop the bleeding, and that’s what happens,” Chris Felix said. “What makes it tough, though, is us giving up runs on errors and passed balls, because without those, the score would have been a lot different But, it’s good competition. Hopefully we’ll get to meet up with them again in the championship.”
Post-season play at Nogales National Little Park is slated to begin Thursday. As No. 1 seed, HM Distribution (15-1-2) will have a bye. Real Value Produce (11-8) will likely play winless AMSA, while Big Chuy and OMEGA jockey for a win between the third and fourth seeds.
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