Glimmer of hope exists in 10-6 debacle

When it was all said and done, the final score was 10-6. But it was a lot worse than that.

But as the Broncos (33-38) look to try and salvage their series against Alexandria tonight at Veterans - a win would mean a series win - they know Monday's game could have easily gone the other way.

Alexandria did not win the game so much as Laredo fumbled around and coughed it up.

The Broncos committed five errors. Those miscues led to six unearned runs.

“There were a lot of errors, a lot of mental errors," Broncos Manager Dan Shwam said following the game. "I don’t know if it was the heat or exhaustion, or if we just felt we would be invincible after last night’s win. I don’t know what it was. We played very poor defensively.”

The real victim appeared to be ace right-hander Santo Hernandez, who was clearly affected by the errors.

Hernandez pitched four innings, the second-shortest outing of his season. He allowed eight runs - three earned - on six hits.

He struck out three and walked four.

Known to be picky about his stats, Hernandez appeared to let the Broncos' mishaps affect him.

His shoulders sunk. His head was down. It was not the sight of a pitcher that leads the league in ERA and strikeouts.

And in turn, his dismay was evident in his teammates' morale.

“Santo didn’t have a good game, he was never able to find his strike zone," Shwam said. "And when you’re playing so poor defensively, bad pitching does not help.

“I think it (Santo’s struggles) definitely affects players mentally. They see their ace struggling and they think, ‘Man, if we can’t win with him on the mound, we can’t win any game!’ I think, maybe, mentally they were down.”

Offensively, the Broncos didn't do a lot better.

They managed just six hits and left 10 on base.

“I knew it’d be tough," Shwam said. "(Aces starter) Alexis Sosa is tough and we haven’t been able to hit him much all year. He threw a great game (seven innings, one earned run, seven strikeouts), and once they got that lead, it’s pretty much over. Alexandria doesn’t give up leads. When they get one, they’re going to stomp on your neck. I think they were embarrassed last night and really wanted this one. They played with a lot of heart and determination.”

And now the big test - how will the Broncos respond?

“Tomorrow’s big,” Shwam said. “It’s a chance to see if we can rebound, if we can play with heart and pride. It’s a pride thing now. Are we going to get stomped in the heads twice or are we going to win the series?”