Long Time Coming
The Woodlands bring back lacrosse title to Houston
Matt Malatesta
May 15, 2018, 8:19 pm
It’s been 12 years since the city of Houston has won a state championship in lacrosse, when St. John’s took the title in 2006. It’s been 23 years since a Houston-area public school has won the coveted state title.
The Woodlands Highlanders made history, beating St. Mark’s in Austin on Sunday 10-6 to break the decade-long streak of Dallas teams winning state. The Woodlands is now the power program in the city, having reached the state tourney 5 times over the past decade.
“Winning was the most satisfying feeling,” Notre Dame-signee Ramsey McCreary said. “All the work our team has put in since we first started playing paid off. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Five different Highlanders scored in the win. McCreary had a goal and two assists in the title game, while Jack Barron (Furman) led all scorers with four goals. Mitch Williams had two goals.
“We are happy to finally give some credibility for Houston as contenders in the state,” Furman-signee Jacob Moore said. “The feeling is indescribable. The most memorable moment was seeing Coach T’s (Keith Tintle) tears when we won.”
Tintle also coached the Kinkaid school before coming over to The Woodlands. Kinkaid won a state title in 1997.
“It feels amazing after playing with my best friends the past four years and finally winning it all,” senior James McDowell said. “Some of the most memorable moments were our Spring Break trips playing in California, the bus rides and just hanging out with the team at team dinners. It’s the perfect ending to four years of high school lacrosse.”
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.
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.