Photos: Laredo Alexander rallies to beat rival Laredo United and capture District 30-6A baseball title

Laredo Alexander senior right-hander Emir Encalada went the distance in the 4-2 victory

LAREDO, Texas - The Laredo Alexander vs. Laredo United baseball rivalry added another epic chapter Wednesday night.

Laredo Alexander rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Laredo United 4-2 and claim the outright District 30-6A title and the No. 1 seed heading into the 6A playoffs. 

“After that (San Antonio) O’Connor game something changed in these guys,” Laredo Alexander head coach Fernando Lemus said. “They just turned it on, and they have been fighting, overcoming a lot of adversity within ourselves, our program and I am just proud of these guys.”

Justin Lanier and Jesed Garza scored to give Laredo United a 2-0 lead after one inning. But that proved to be all the offense the Longhorns could muster against Laredo Alexander senior right-hander Emir Encalada, who proceeded to pitch six scoreless innings. 

The Bulldogs were held in check by Laredo United starter AJ Sanchez until the third inning when freshman Jeremy Gabrillo got things rolling with a single. Gabrillo went on to score on a triple by senior Marco Villanueva to make it a 2-1 game.

Laredo Alexander tied the game in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Jeffery Castillo that scored designated hitter Josh Torres to make it 2-2.

After a scoreless fifth inning the Bulldogs got back on track in the sixth as they utilized their power at the plate and an error to take the lead. Back-to-back singles by Ciro Benavides and Torres put runners on first and second base. On the ensuing play, a throwing error to first base moved the runners over one base to put them in scoring position.

JC Zepeda hit a hard grounder but a base-running error by Torres left him in a pickle between second and third base. Third base was occupied by Benavides. Eventually Torres was tagged for the second out of the inning.

With runners on the corners and two outs, Castillo ripped a two-run double, scoring Benavides and Zepeda to give Laredo Alexander a 4-2 lead. 

Encalada kept Laredo United off the scoreboard the rest of the way, and Laredo Alexander locked up the district title for the first time in three years.

The postgame celebration turned testy after several Laredo United players confronted the Bulldogs, prompting coaches, administrators and a police officer to step onto the field to separate the teams. Both teams were eventually sent to their dugouts and there was no postgame handshake line.

Laredo Alexander will face San Antonio Taft in the opening round of the Class 6A state playoffs next week. 

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