BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — When a team of Weslaco High’s caliber competes in out-of-town softball tournaments, the pros, more than likely, outweigh the cons.
During the week of Feb. 22, the Panthers took part in the Houston Fastpitch Tournament and held their own against teams from Central Texas and the Greater Houston area, defeating Waller, Cy-Fair and Pearland during that weekend.
Weslaco High fared even better at the Seguin Tournament, winning all six of its games and taking first place earlier this month.
The recent tournament stretch had been particularly good to catcher Audrey Escamilla.
“I hit four home runs in the last two tournaments (Houston and Seguin),” Escamilla said. “That was a great confidence boost, but I also think it made me overconfident at the same time.”
The four home runs in two weeks caused Escamilla to take bigger swings at the plate, and that resulted in a rough first two games in district play.
“Our coaches have always tried to tell us: don’t look for the home run swing and get the line drives,” Escamilla said.
Escamilla went back to basics on Tuesday, going 3 for 3 with two RBI singles, a double, a walk and two runs scored in Weslaco High’s 10-0 rout of Harlingen High in five innings.
“I needed to level my head out and dial it back,” Escamilla said. “The ultimate goal is getting on base one at a time. I tried to get that mentality back tonight.”
Escamilla wasn’t the only offensive force for the Panthers (19-2-1, 3-0) on Tuesday. After Escamilla’s RBI single in the first inning, third baseman Abigail Luna followed with a two-run home run that sliced toward the foul pole before clearing the left-field fence, making it 3-0.
Freshman Jordan Diaz pinch hit and contributed separate run-scoring singles in the fourth and fifth innings.
“We have four freshmen on the team, and we try to get them as much playing time as we can,” Weslaco High coach Mario Rodriguez said. “We put girls like Jordan through our hitting drills in practice, and you see something in them and give them opportunity. Offensively, and even defensively, this could be the best team I’ve ever coached.”
In the circle, Weslaco pitcher Ashley Sada threw four innings, allowed only three hits and struck out three Harlingen Cardinals (11-7-1, 1-2).
“I figured out how to move the ball around and adapt to the pitches they couldn’t hit,” Sada said. “I threw certain hitters outside, some inside, and I even worked in the change-up just to mix it up.”
“I don’t think anyone is at their best right now because of this being spring break week, but she pitched well enough today,” Rodriguez said.