Socorro Wins Texas State Baseball Championship

By ABC-7 Sports Director Raul Martinez

ROUND ROCK, TX — The Socorro Bulldogs are the first El Paso-area team to win the state baseball championship since the 1949 Bowie Bears.

They dominated the entire game against the Lufkin Panthers and won with a final score of 12-7.

Head Coach Chris Forbes has been waiting 25years for a state title and he finally got it Saturday. His team was able to make history in front of a sea of “bulldog red” at Dell Diamond Stadium.

The Bulldogs were down2-0 in the top of the fourth inning.That’s when Corey Falvey hit a two-run home run to tie the game. Falveyhit the game-winning home runFriday to put Socorro into the state final.

Later in the inning, a pitch in the dirt and bad throw to third for Lufkinallowed pinch runner Oscar Sandate to score. The Bulldogs were up 3-2.

In the fifth, Lufkin was in trouble as the Bulldogs had all the bases loaded. That’s when Falvey came through again … this time with a grand slam home run.

Falvey not only put his team up7-2, but broke the state tournament record with his third home run. It was also his 19th of the season.

Socorro would add five runs in the top of the seventh and they seemed to be in control of the game, leading 12-3.

However,Lufkin would not give up without a fight. They scored five runs in the final inning to storm back within five runs of the Bulldogs.

Aaron Olivas came on in relief of Tavi Amparan. Despite being shaken up by giving off the five runs in the final inning,Olivas was able to et thefly out to Falvey for the final out.

The catch set off a wildcelebration.