Moody Baseball Blanks The Woodlands

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[size=12pt]Moody Baseball Blanks The Woodlands[/size]

By Javier Becerra
Updated Friday, March 5, 2010

CORPUS CHRISTI — The Woodlands senior ace Jameson Taillon is 6-foot-7 with a slingshot delivery that tops out at 97 mph on radar guns. With an arsenal of four pitches and the mechanics to make hitters miss, the lanky right-hander is one of the reasons the Highlanders are ranked second in the state in Class 5A.

Taillon also happens to be one of the top prospects for the Major League draft in June, projected by some to be one of the first 10 picks. However, he wasn’t the only one that had batters swinging at nothing but air Thursday night.

Moody’s Michael Franco allowed only one hit and struck out 13 to lead the Trojans, ranked fifth in the state in Class 4A, past the Highlanders 2-0 on the first day of the Mira’s Sports & More Classic at Cabaniss Field. He retired the first 13 batters he faced, including eight strike outs in a row, to set the tone.

“We came out with nothing to lose. All the pressure was on them,” said Franco, who improved to 3-0 on the season by retiring the side in order six times. “We’ve been working hard and have a lot of confidence right now. I knew we’d come out on top.”

Chris Navarro made sure of it by driving in the only two runs Moody (8-0 overall) needed.

The Trojans took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Navarro smacked a line drive to left field that brought home Marcus Villanueva. Navarro’s base hit up the middle in the third allowed Villanueva to trot home and put Moody in front by two runs.

“I anticipated the pitch and just waited for the ball to come,” Navarro said.

Despite taking the loss, Taillon turned in an impressive performance for The Woodlands (3-2). He scattered only three hits and struck out 10, including the side in the bottom of the fifth.

Franco looked even better, keeping the Highlanders off the bases until giving up a single to designated hitter Daniel Homann in the top of the fifth. After walking Nick Frey, both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball.

Undaunted, Franco needed only five pitches for the two outs needed to end the threat. He sealed the victory by retiring the side in the sixth and seventh.

The effort reminded Moody coach Corky Gallegos of former standout Luis Flores.

“The best thing I can say is that I saw shades of Luis,” Gallegos said. “This was a big stage and it got a lot of attention. He got up there with all the pressure and took care of business.”

Gallegos said the outcome shows the importance of being mentally prepared.

“We beat them between the ears,” Gallegos said. “We tell the guys all the time that we want to take teams from the neck up. This game is 90 percent mental and tonight proved it. These guys believe in the system and in one another.”

The Woodlands 000 000 0—0 1 4

Moody 101 000 0—2 3 0

WP: Michael Franco (3-0). LP: Jameson Taillon. Highlights: The Woodlands, Daniel Homann 1-3; Moody, Marcus Villanueva 1-3, 2R, Chris Navarro 1-2, 2RBI, Smiley Zapata 1-3. Records: The Woodlands 3-2, Moody 8-0.