(Hallettsville) – Navarro is headed to the third round of the UIL baseball playoffs for the first time since 2017 after sweeping Port Lavaca-Calhoun with an 11-0 win on Thursday and an 8-5 triumph on Friday in a best-of-three area round series at Hallettsville City Park.
The Panthers rediscovered their gap-hitting power against Calhoun, scoring 19 runs on 18 hits with five doubles and a triple after plating just seven with no extra-base hits in the bi-district sweep of Fredericksburg.
“A lot better approach,” Navarro head coach Kris Cavazos said. “We squared up a lot of balls, and the wind wasn’t in our favor like it has been all season long. We hit it on the screws a lot, and were aggressive. We made some plays and made them make plays, and I’m proud of our offensive output this weekend.”
Jaxen Monkerud went 3-3 with a triple, two RBIs, and three runs scored to lead the Panthers at the plate in Game 1 on Thursday. Jacob Frederick doubled twice to finish 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Reece Rojas went 2-2 with a double, scored twice, walked twice, and drove in a run. Will Boswell also drove in a run.
Navarro chased Calhoun ace Dalton Alford with four runs in the first inning.
Boswell made his first start on the mound since non-district play for the Panthers and moved his record to 5-0.
Boswell worked around six walks and three hits to keep Calhoun scorelss in 5-2/3 innings.
“Will did awesome,” Cavazos said. “He hasn’t pitched in two months, so he’s fresh. The walks were up a little bit too high for what we like, but our defense was there, and they had his back, and they did a great job, and for not throwing in a long time, he did a really good job for us.”
Hunter Monroe relieved Boswell in the sixth inning. He overcame two walks and a base hit to induce the final four outs and keep the zero in Calhoun’s scoring column.
With their season on the line, the scrappy Sandcrabs connected for 12 hits Game 2, plated two runs in the seventh inning to draw within three after Navarro had built an 8-3 cushion, and had two runners on base when reliever Mark Wozniak coaxed a game and series ending groundout from Vincent Frederickson.
“I told the kids they have a bunch of seniors on that team, and just like I expect y’all to give everything you have in the last game, they’re going to do the same thing, and they’re going to be in for a dogfight,” Cavazos said. “Expect a close game, and nothing to run away from, and no matter what inning it is, and no matter what inning it is, they’re not going to quit. Hats off to them – they hit the ball really well today, but I’m so proud of our kids for fighting through adversity. It’s been a rough week for us, and a bunch of kids stepped up this weekend, and I’m really proud of that.”
Jaxen Monkerud pitched the first four innings on Friday and bumped his season record to 11-0, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits. Sam Muniga put in 2-1/3 innings of relief work. Wozniak maneuvered around a hit and a walk to record the final two outs.
Monkerud, playing center field at the time, fired a perfect throw to catcher Tristan Brashears to erase Calhoun’s Kirk Stringham at the plate for the second out of the seventh after a hit by Sean Flores.
Wozniak hit a two-run double and finished with three RBIs and two runs scored. Muniga went 2-4 and scored twice. Monkerud and Will Boswell each drove in a run.
Navarro takes a 29-3 record and an 18-game winning streak into a 4A regional quarterfinal matchup with Canyon Lake, who swept Needville 11-3, 4-0 in the area playoffs. The series format, times, and locations had yet to be finalized at press time.