KEVIN NARRO | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
LA JOYA — McAllen High senior pitcher Alexis Gutierrez did not know she had a no-hitter though five complete innings Tuesday night.
“I just found out right now, that coached talked to us,” Gutierrez said. “I was just in the zone and focusing on the strike zone.”
Gutierrez was a force in the circle. The senior ace tossed a complete game, walking three, fanning 10 and scattering two hits. Junior Catcher Brittany Castillo provided the offense with a two-run home run as McAllen High earned a crucial 3-0 win against La Joya High.
“It feels great to pick up another win against a tough team like La Joya. I’m a little tired, but I will be OK,” Gutierrez said. “My fastball was working for me, but I couldn’t have done it without my catcher (Castillo). Her and I communicated well, and we made all the right pitches.”
La Joya High junior pitcher Sabrina Salinas went toe-to-toe with Gutierrez. Salinas also went the distance, allowing three runs on six hits with nine strikeouts in the loss.
Gutierrez and Salinas locked horns early on, combining for 19 strikeouts.
In a game where offense was at a minimum, McAllen High came through with timely hitting. Castillo’s two-run dinger was the difference early on, while Gutierrez helped her own cause with an RBI double in the sixth inning. The RBI double served as an insurance run for the Lady Bulldogs.
La Joya High’s Andrea Perez broke up the no-no on a base hit in the sixth inning. The Lady Coyotes threatened in the fifth and sixth innings, but Gutierrez kept her cool and managed to pitch her way out of both jams. When La Joya High loaded the bases in the sixth with two outs, Gutierrez struck out Alyssa Soliz for the third out to keep the Lady Coyotes at bay.
“She (Alexis) was in the zone tonight,” McAllen coach Ruth Garcia said. “Once she’s focused, she’s focused, but it’s a combination of her and Brittany. Those two are lethal when they’re together. Brittany does the calling, and Alexis does the execution. Tonight, she relied on her fastball. Every now and then she would throw her change-up, and it worked.”
McAllen High is in second place in District 30-6A with a 5-2 district record. La Joya fell to 5-4. With the win, McAllen High completes a season sweep of La Joya.
The Lady Bulldogs’ only two losses have come against McAllen Rowe and McAllen Memorial, which they will meet Friday night at McAllen High. McAllen Memorial remains atop the district with an 8-0 record.
“It’s always tough the second time around, because we know what we’re about,” Garcia said. “Everyone knows what you have, so it’s a matter of making less errors and making the key hits. We have Memorial next up. We have been taking it one game at a time, and now we can put our focus on the Mustangs.”