By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
After winning the program’s first district title since 2000, PSJA High will play tonight for a shot at the No. 1 seed in District 32-5A.
That’s because the Lady Bears and Mercedes tied with 13-1 district records, having split the head-to-head season series.
The game at 7 tonight at Donna will determine the bi-district matchup for next week, with the winner taking on the the No. 4 seed from District 31-5A (Mission Veterans Memorial) and the loser taking on the No. 3 seed (Rio Grande City).
“It’s a really good opportunity, of course,” PSJA High coach Teresa Thibodeaux said. “We needed a warmup game either way, so we’re looking at it like preparation for the playoffs.
“Either way, we’re going to go out there and give it our best.”
PSJA High won the first matchup 1-0, before Mercedes responded with a 9-4 victory. The Lady Tigers, who have won district the past three years, could draw the favorable seeding with a win tonight. That would pair them against Mission Veterans, which is 5-6 in district heading into tonight’s regular-season finale.
The loser of tonight’s matchup draws Rio Grande City (6-3).
Boasting seven seniors, PSJA High improved on last year’s second-place tie (finishing third after a coin flip) with strong hitting throughout its lineup and two to three capable pitchers in the rotation. Valeria Gonzalez, a senior, has been a spark in the circle, though a shot to her right elbow during the last meeting against Mercedes has slowed her since.
With Gabie Fonseca, Elusa Gracia, Jenifer Lopez, Elaine Madera, Alexis Bermea and Annisa Abirua, the Lady Bears have had one of their best hitting seasons in recent memory.
“This is a senior class that starting playing varsity as freshmen, and we’re starting to see the pay day with great efforts,” Thibodeaux said. “They’re coming together, and — what can I say? — it’s their year.”
GETTING REPS
At the start of the year, things were shaky at Mission Veterans Memorial.
Coach Vivian Ray said she wasn’t sure what she had with a relatively new roster, fielding just three seniors. But by the time district got under way, the Lady Patriots “won the games we needed to win,” as Ray put it, and now they themselves with another playoff berth in hand.
“The games we played in the preseason, those were the games of hard knocks,” Ray said. “When you’re facing Mercedes, Brownsville Veterans, Edinburg, you have to grow a little bit of a backbone and play the best that you can because those are premiere teams. And I think that’s what helped us grow.”
Sophomore Eliana Contreras made significant strides this year, improving her pitch location, change-up and spin, working in tandem with senior Samantha Diaz, who returned to the team after a year layoff.
They helped key the defense, along with freshman Makenzie Geriach, who employed exceptional lateral movement at the shortstop position while contributing each night at the plate.
CONTINUED SUCCESS
Despite plenty of turnover this year, Edcouch-Elsa is in the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
First-year coach Ruth Flores, previously an assistant for seven seasons prior to last year, described the 2016 campaign as “a rollercoaster season with bumps in the road in the first road.” But E-E established some cohesiveness along the way, putting itself in position to nab the No. 3 seed tonight when it faces Brownsville Porter.
Both teams are tied at 9-5 heading into the regular-season finale tonight.
“I think it says a lot about the tradition at E-E,” said Flores, who was hired in December to replace longtime coach Joey Palacios. “The girls know what’s expected of the. They work hard everyday, and they want to keep it going.
“They didn’t want to be known as the team (within the history of the program) that didn’t make the playoffs.”