Rattlers cruise past Patriots, advance to regional semis

MISSION — Sharyland High completed their sweep of Mission Veterans on Friday, with the Rattlers taking down the Patriots 6-1 during Game 2 of a best-of-3 Class 5A DII area round series at Sharyland High School.

The 2-0 series victory sends the Rattlers to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

“Mission Veterans is a hell of a team,” Sharyland High head coach Austin Bickerton said. “I have a lot of respect for that program and those kids. They’re great kids and I have a lot of respect for their coaches. We had a good game plan going into this series. Our kids just came through. I’m just super proud of them.”

Sharyland High sophomore Luis Balderas (4) looks to steal a base during a Class 5A DII area round game against Mission Veterans on Friday at Sharyland High. (Andrew Cordero | Special to RGVSports)

Both teams struggled to find offense during Game 1 of the series, with the Rattlers taking the win 1-0 thanks to a solo home run by Edgar Quintanilla.

Game 2 proved much of the same early on, with both teams getting on the board thanks to errors by the opposing defenses to make it 1-1 through three innings.

The bats came alive for the Rattlers during the back half of the contest, however, pouring in a combined five runs between the fourth and sixth innings to take a 6-1 advantage. Leading the offensive surge was Darian Lopez, with senior bringing in a pair of runs during the bottom of the fifth.

A Sharyland High player swings at a pitch during a Class 5A DII area round game against Mission Veterans on Friday at Sharyland High. (Andrew Cordero | Special to RGVSports)

“We just made an adjustment at the plate,” Bickerton said. “We were chasing pitches. We told our guys to wait until we get a strike to see what he’d do. We just tried to get ourselves in good counts so we could get those pitches we could hit. That’s what we did.”

Defensively, the Rattlers continued to stifle the Patriots like in Game 1, allowing just five hits and turning three double plays during the contest.

Freshman Emilio Villarreal earned the win on the mound for Sharyland High, finishing with five strikeouts in seven innings. Villarreal’s lone run alone came on a sacrifice fly by Jose Enriquez during the top of the second.

Sharyland High freshman Emilio Flores throws a pitch during a Class 5A DII area round game against Mission Veterans Friday at Sharyland High. (Andrew Cordero | Special to RGVSports)

The Rattlers (24-7-2) await the winner between Boerne Champion and San Antonio MacArthur in the Region IV-5A semifinals. The Chargers are tied 1-1 in a best-of-3 series, with the deciding game set for 1 p.m. Saturday.

“Getting to the third round is very special,” Bickerton said. “I was at Pioneer in 2019 when we played Sharyland High in the regional finals. But this group here is a special group. I told these guys after that game that we’ll go as far as we put our minds to.”

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