Flying Through Familiar Territory
Tompkins feeling déjà vu en route to strong start to 2019
Jan 16, 2019, 5:40 pm
The Falcons are steep in quality depth. Via Vype
Originally Appeared on Vype
This new year 2019 feels a lot like 2017 for Tompkins.
That year, the Falcons were Class 6A state finalists, and seemed to be bound for Georgetown every season thereafter for a while due to the talented freshmen on the roster. But while last year was far from shabby, a regional finalist finish felt like a letdown.
"What we took from last year is we weren't that much of a team, and we needed to be more connected," junior forward Barbara Olivieri said. "This year, every girl is giving their all and we're all working together. When you have that type of bond, it doesn't matter who's out there, you can still look really good."
Indeed, the Falcons are feeling a bit of déjà vu after topping 2018 state semifinalist McAllen, 4-0, in the Falcon Bracket championship of the 64-team I-10 Shootout at Legacy Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Tompkins (6-0) routed the Bulldogs even with starters Lauryn Wild, Jullietta Haro, Avery Burchett and Sofie Wolf out of action.
The Falcons are steep in quality depth. While Olivieri and junior forward Skylar Parker, who admirably played well moving to the defensive midfield, starred, as per their ways, others like senior Carrie Gerdes and sophomores Kayla Eshbaugh and Jennifer Pham filled in nicely.
Oh, and sophomore forward Felicia Hernandez. It was Hernandez, after all, who tallied a hat trick with three goals against McAllen, emerging as yet another prominent playmaking threat for coach Jarrett Shipman alongside Parker and Olivieri.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.