By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Rivera and interim coach Robert Rocha are still working out some things as district play starts.
The Lady Raiders, who have finished tournament play, have got their offense working but need to show improvement on defense.
“In tournament play, we did fairly well,” Rocha said. “We’re hitting the ball better. Our catcher, Natalia Pereida, had a home run in the Weslaco tournament. But we still have one inning during a game where our defense lets us down, but we’re working on it.”
Rocha said the team is still looking for consistency.
“We need to get consistent with our pitching and with our defense,” he said. “We need to make plays when needed to stop those big innings.”
The weather hasn’t helped either. Rivera, like most teams in the area, has been limited due to the weather. And the one thing the Lady Raiders need to work on, their defense, will have to wait for drier days ahead.
WET WEATHER
Metro-area teams have been forced to reschedule games and practice inside due to the recent amount of heavy rain.
Pace began District 32-5A play on Friday but have been rained out the past two nights. They will try play tonight at 7 p.m. at Donna High.
The Lady Vikings are trying to stay sharp in the meantime.
“It’s forced us to practice in the small gym,” Pace coach Jesus Jaramillo Jr. said. “We work on fielding, but it’s not the same. We try to work on our hitting, but there’s only so much we can do.”
Rivera is doing the same.
“We’re conditioning and hitting the weight room,” Rocha said. “Getting some throwing and catching in, but that’s all we can do.”
FALLING BEHIND?
Pace is a little worried about falling behind to start the district season. Some teams in District 32-5A haven’t had as much rain and thus more practice time outdoors.
“It’s going to put us behind a little bit,” Jaramillo said. “You need that feel of working out in the field, running the bases, going through your different scenarios. You can’t do that when you’re in the gym.”
The Lady Vikings’ coach recently spoke to his counterparts in Donna and Mercedes about the weather.
“In Donna, it’s still wet, but they are able to practice outside,” he said. “(Their field) is a little better than ours, it’s under water.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.