Riverside advances to 4A baseball Sweet 16
EL PASO, Texas - Riverside may have dropped classes from 5A to 4A, but that has meant nothing to the Rangers baseball program who just continue to win games.
Faced with a 4-2 6th inning deficit in Game 3 against Lubbock Estacado, the Rangers scored three runs in two innings to stun the Matadors and advance to the 4A Regional Semifinals.
Ethan Muniz tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th, and Orlando Samaniego walked it off in the bottom of the 7th with an RBI double to give the Rangers their first ever Sweet 16 baseball berth.
After winning Game 1 against Estacado on Friday night, the Rangers had a chance to advance in Game 2 on Saturday morning. But the Matadors wouldn't relent, and won by a 7-0 shutout to force a Game 3 shortly thereafter.
Aaron Aguilar and Adrian Estrada's pitching kept the Rangers in it, and the clutch hitting late propelled Riverside past Estacado and to a Sweet 16 matchup with Stephenville next weekend.
The Rangers are El Paso's last remaining baseball team alive across all classes, as both Clint and Tornillo saw their season's end in loss on Saturday.
Clint fell to Andrews 13-5 in a decisive Game 3 on Saturday, after winning Game 2 prior in 4A. Tornillo lost a critical Game 3 to Littlefield in 3A to end their season.
