Posted: Mon, 25 May 2009 11:17 AM - 8,395 Readers
By: Rick Cantu
For seven innings beneath a warm and cloudy sky, Lake Travis and Hutto combined brilliant pitching with outstanding defense, creating a baseball game worthy of the state tournament.
Lake Travis, which has ridden through the Class 4A playoffs by smashing the baseball, was on the brink of elimination until Hutto pitcher Eythan Lenz made a season-ending mistake.
The Cavaliers, with runners at first and third with two outs in the eighth, won when the sophomore pitcher balked in the game's lone run.
Junior Kevin Conroy trotted home from third to give Lake Travis a 1-0 victory in a regional quarterfinal Saturday afternoon at Dell Diamond.
Lake Travis (30-3) advanced to the state semifinals to play second-ranked Corpus Christi Calallen (32-1), which knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs in last year's semis.
"We always find a way to win," said Lake Travis senior Dylan Mendoza, who pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory. "We compete to the end."
Conroy started the game-winning rally with a hard single to left with one out in the eighth and moved to second when Kody Gruber followed with a single.
Conroy advanced to third when Brad Kuntz flew out to right.
With runners at the corners, Lake Travis shortstop Andy Holt came to the plate.
"I really thought Holt was going to win the game with a hit," Lake Travis coach Roy Kinnan said.
Instead, Lenz motioned to first base, seemingly to keep Gruber near the base, but when Lenz hesitated during his motion, the entire Cavalier bench yelled balk.
Kinnan said it's only the third time in his 33 years as a high school coach that a game ended with a balk.
Lenz, who ran laps by himself in the outfield for 10 minutes after the game, admitted his mistake.
"I froze," the 135-pound sophomore said. "Once I froze, I tried to still follow through with the throw, but it was too late."
Lenz pitched a marvelous game, allowing five hits — all singles — while striking out two and not allowing a walk.
"If you listen to Augie (Garrido), he always says baseball is not a fair game," Hutto coach Peter Schmidt said.
"It's a cruel game, unfair game. All I told (Lenz) is that he didn't lose the game and pitched a heck of a game. I told that to the whole team."
Hutto (19-10) was playing its first season of 4A baseball after reaching the state tournament last June in Class 3A. With only two seniors on the team — compared to 17 for Lake Travis — the Huttos are equipped for another playoff run next season.
Kuntz pitched the first six innings for the Cavaliers, and was removed when Hutto shortstop Brett Higginbotham led off the seventh with a double to deep left. Mendoza, the Cavaliers' ace, kept the game scoreless, striking out Justin Santos to end the inning.
Lake Travis' Gruber appeared to have a home run when he smashed a Lenz pitch to deep left in the fifth.
But with a stiff breeze blowing to right, Hutto outfielder Cruz Luna made the catch, his back against the wall.
