Mehrmann no-hits Aggies, putting Eagles in playoffs




Pleasanton’s HIlton Mehrmann pulls through the stretch of a pitch during his no-hitter against Poteet. AIDAN DENSON | PLEASANTON EXPRESS

Pleasanton’s HIlton Mehrmann pulls through the stretch of a pitch during his no-hitter against Poteet. AIDAN DENSON | PLEASANTON EXPRESS

Pleasanton’s baseball team tends to elevate its play with Hilton Mehrmann pitching, and gained steam late as he no-hit Poteet in a 5-0 win that clinched the Eagles’ playoff spot.

Mehrmann struck out nine batters, did not walk any and hit one while throwing 93 pitches.

“He did a fantastic job. He threw 93 pitches, so he threw a pretty good gem,” said Pleasanton head coach Jeff Niemietz. “He’s our rock. He’s got great composure on the mound. He’s not rattled.”

Mehrmann had his second strong outing of the district season against Poteet after beating them on March 26.

“It felt good. They’re a great team over there. They got guys who can put the ball in play. I was just trusting my defense,” he said. The no-hitter was his third shutout of the season.

Keith Cordova scored Kameron Parks on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Still, the game continued as a pitchers duel between Mehrmann and Poteet’s Daryn Garza, who allowed only three hits in the first five innings.

Poteet had a few players reach base on errors to threaten scoring.

Mehrmann drove in Cordova on a sacrifice bunt to start a four-run sixth. Aaron Perez hit an RBI double and Parks hit a two-run single.

“The offense came up big in the last inning. The four runs let me cool off,” Mehrmann said.

Pleasanton beat Gonzales 13-0 on April 12. The Eagles scored three runs in each of the first two innings before adding five in the third and two in the fourth.

John Briseno had a hit, two walks, two RBIs and a stolen base. Aaron Perez and Hilton Mehrmann also drew two walks. Justin Rangel had two hits, three RBIs and a stolen base. Mehrmann allowed two hits in four innings while striking out five batters.

Poteet saw a home game against La Vernia, the second-place team in District 4A-30, slip away from them in a 12-2 loss on April 12. Garza drove in a pair of runs during the first inning to give the Aggies a 2-1 lead. The Bears tied it in the second before taking the lead in the fourth and scoring nine runs in the fifth. The Aggies managed four hits. Bobby Benavidez walked twice.

By finishing at La Vernia on April 18 and Cuero at home on April 23, the Eagles prepare for the playoffs against high-level competition.

“It’s two solid teams. Those are the type of teams that we’re going to see in the postseason. La Vernia’s very good with the sticks. They hit the ball really well. And Cuero, last time we played them, we went 12 innings. It’s good, quality baseball for us and it’s exactly what we need to see going into the postseason,” Niemietz said of the games with the district’s top two teams.

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