Deer Park 12s finish South Zone sweep for sweet title

As long as Shay Kight can remember, each time one of his all-star teams finished a Pony Baseball postseason tournament, they were always receiving a banner that said “runner-up.”

There was always that one team that was just a little better and sometimes a lot better than Deer Park’s squad. The last time it happened was at Pasadena’s Strawberry Park in July 2019 when the Medina Valley Mustang all-stars rolled to a 12-2 South Zone championship-clinching win.

Then came the covid-19 pandemic that wiped out the 2020 competition. By then, Kight was probably beginning to think if it was just meant for him to never know what it would be like to savor a championship.

But Saturday afternoon, when one of Kight’s teams wasn’t supposed to reach the mountaintop, they did, resulting in a banner that didn’t have the word runner-up on it.

The Deer Park Bronco all-stars went to a small ball strategy to snap a 1-1 tie and strong pitching did the rest as the team captured the coveted Bronco (12U) South Zone championship with a 6-4 win over the previously unbeaten Pioneer Youth Baseball/Softball Association (PYBSA) all-stars at the Ruth Minchen Athletic Complex.

“It actually feels really good. I’ve been on all-stars for at least three years and we’ve always finished in second place,” Kight said.

Deer Park finished the four-day event with a perfect 6-0 record, capping it off Saturday by defeating Eagle Pass, the No. 1 ranked team by a 4-1 score and then PYBSA, the No. 2 team.

Pony Baseball has it planned out that three teams from South Zone advance to the World Series in Laredo that starts next Thursday. So the team actually clinched a few hours earlier with that 4-1 victory over Eagle Pass. Eagle Pass then became the third team to clinch by nipping the Hutto Outlawz 3-2.

Though he suspected some on the team were aware, manager Ryan Kight kept the prize hush-hush, hoping, despite the uncomfortable temperatures, they still had enough drive to finish the project.

“We really didn’t know anything about the Pioneers. We just came and did our game. We had to be the best defensive team out here,” Kight said.

Sam Jefferson worked the opening 4 and 1/3 innings to get the victory, while Daniel Vela bagged the save.

“It was pretty hard at first. I couldn’t find the strike zone. I started throwing more strikes right down the middle and they couldn’t hit it,” said Jefferson, crediting a four-seam fastball and slider for his effectiveness.

Jefferson, playing his first season of Pony Baseball, struck out the side in the third inning, picked up two more in the fourth and two in the fifth frame. He was given a partial standing ovation when he departed the hill after his pitch count maxed out.

PYBSA’s lineup featured a youngster by the name of Carlos Solis, who physically could pass as a high school player. With one out, he was intentionally walked in the fifth, loading the bases, but Deer Park escaped with only minimal damage to their lead after Vela induced two ground balls.

But in the fourth, Jefferson opened the frame by getting Solis to strike out on a pitch in the dirt. Four batters later, Jefferson was striking out another batter to take the contest into the fifth.

As for that bunting, Deer Park likely set a Ruth Minchen Athletic Complex record for most attempts in a game.

“Oh wow, it was excellent. It’s been good during the whole tournament. We were just doing small ball because they were backing up,” Jefferson said.

“In practice, we would always focus on bunting more and that’s where we won it, basically,” Shay Kight said.

In the third inning, Deer Park took the lead for good on a squeeze play. Vela put the textbook bunt down and Deer Park had its go-ahead score. Moments later, Aandon Schroeder scored on a wild pitch for a 3-1 lead.

In the fourth, the opening three batters bunted. Kight started it and his led to a pitcher’s error. Brayden Keller put down a sacrifice bunt that moved Kight to third base and then Kight scored after yet another bunt.

In the fifth, Deer Park scored its final two runs on the strength of three more successful bunts. A Jefferson bunt scored the team’s final run to make it 6-1 and moments earlier, a Vela line out to left field produced the fifth run.

“I want kids to play. They’re giving me their summer. I’m big on making kids play. You give me the time, I’ll get you in, but you’ve got to do some kind of job. Give up yourself. It’s the team aspect. We moved the ball, create chaos. That’s what I tell these kids, play your game, create chaos,” said Ryan Kight.

Now he’s got almost his entire lineup performing the job of bunting and bunting efficiently. Now they’ll be taking it to Laredo.

ravery@hcnonline.com