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SAN BENITO — The San Benito Lady Greyhounds might have started the scoring, but it was the PSJA Memorial Lady Wolverines who finished it on Friday.
After losing Game 1 of the their best-of-three Class 6A bi-district series on Thursday, the Lady Wolverines came into Friday’s contest with a chip on their shoulders and then turned it into a 8-6 victory over the Lady Greyhounds.
Game 3 will be played at PSJA Memorial at 2 p.m. today, with the fourth-seeded Lady Wolverines (13-13) in position to close out the Valley’s top-ranked team in San Benito (26-2).
“We had a lot of confidence coming in,” PSJA Memorial coach Gilberto Rodriguez said. “I told my team that if we eliminate (Thursday’s) mistakes then we can win this game and we can be successful. In the bus I told the girls that it’s one pitch at a time and one hit at a time and we can make it happen.
“These girls believed in themselves and I’m proud of these girls. They made it happen.”
In the circle, Ashley Castillo went the distance, allowing just one run the final four innings of play for PSJA Memorial.
“Ashley stayed focus and pitched her game,” Rodriguez said. “I told her you pitch your game and whatever we can you come at them with confidence and that’s all you need.
“This is the postseason everybody is 0-0 and whoever wants to play next week is going to go for it.”
San Benito freshman pitcher Sarah Garcia gave up five runs in the top of the second, forcing San Benito coach Kristy Leal to go with the more experienced Diandra Padilla, who closed out the inning.
WESLACO HIGH 5, BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL 0: At Brownsville, Lady Panthers pitcher Taylor Tafolla recorded four strikeouts and allowed one hit and one walk in helping her team even the best-of-three series at one game apiece.
Tafolla had a no-hitter through six innings until Cassie Valdez hit a one-out single to shallow left field during the bottom of the seventh.
Weslaco High grabbed the early leading during a three-run first inning. Alyssa Escamilla led off with a triple and scored the next at-bat on a single by Charlene De Anda. Tafolla knocked in De Anda with a one-out triple and scored later in the inning on an error.
The Lady Panthers brought another run in during the second when Helen Gonzalez scored on a Brownsville Veterans fielding error.
Escamilla scored her second run of the game and Weslaco High’s final run of the night in the seventh inning.
EDINBURG NORTH 2, HARLINGEN HIGH 0: At Edinburg, the Lady Cougars advanced to the area round once again, courtesy of their two-game sweep.
Edinburg North (27-6), the District 31-6A champions, will take on the winner of Laredo Alexander-McAllen Rowe in the area round.
McALLEN HIGH 6, DEL RIO 5: At Laredo, the Lady Bulldogs won their one-game playoff series on the road at Zachry Softball Complex.
McHi face the winner of the San Benito-PSJA Memorial series.
McALLEN MEMORIAL 4, LAREDO UNITED 0: At Laredo, the Lady Mustangs took a 1-0 series lead at the Laredo Student Activity Center.
McAllen Memorial (23-5), the District 30-6A champion, can close out the series when it returns home today at 2 p.m.
EAGLE PASS 11, LA JOYA HIGH 0: At Laredo, the Lady Coyotes dropped the first game of their three-game series.
La Joya, the fourth seed in 30-6A, will look to avoid elimination at 1 p.m. today.
CLASS 5A
SHARYLAND PIONEER 8, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 2: At Brownsville, District 31-5A champion Sharyland Pioneer thrived on the longball, with five of its first six runs coming via three home runs, to win Game 1 of their Class 5A bi-district playoff series.
The Lady Diamondbacks (22-8) return home at 2 p.m. today with an opportunity to close out the best-of-three series. If necessary, Game 3 will resume 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2.
“After a little while, once we picked up some rhythm, we started hitting the longball (in the fourth inning),” Pioneer coach Orlando Garcia said. “We later came back to ‘small ball,’ and that seemed to work for us, too.
“Like I told our girls, we wanted to get Game 1 over here in Brownsville because we know that Porter is tough,” Garcia added. “It was important for us to win the first one going into the next game, and possibly a third game, at our home field. Hopefully we can finish things off in Game 2.”
The winner of the series advances to next week’s area round to face Calallen or Eagle Pass Winn.
MERCEDES 19, MISSION VETERANS 4: At Mercedes, the 32-5A co-district champion Lady Tigers swept their bi-district series once again, setting up an area-round matchup against the winner of Corpus Christi Flour Bluff and Medina Valley.
RIO GRANDE CITY 11, PSJA HIGH 4: At Rio Grande City, the Lady Rattlers even the season series at one game apiece following their Game 2 win.
The series shifts back to PSJA High at 1 p.m. today.
CLASS 4A
ORANGE GROVE 10, HIDALGO 0: At Calallen, the Lady Pirates saw Game 1 of their best-of-three series cut short in the fifth inning by way of mercy rule.