BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
Edcouch-Elsa’s 9-0 road win against Brownsville Pace on Tuesday may be the fifth district game for both teams, but the victory has begun to untangle the congested District 32-5A standings.
After entering the week in a four-way tie for third place, the Yellow Jackets’ triumph gives them sole possession of third at 3-2, while the loss drops the Vikings into yet another four-way tie, this time for fourth place at 2-3.
“We knew what was at stake after talking about it with the girls on Monday,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Ruth Flores said. “If we did our job and the other teams helped us, we’d be in a great position. Our pitching is coming around, and hopefully our bats get rolling after Tuesday night. We’re in a good place right now.”
E-E (10-10) qualified for the area round of the playoffs last year but ran into Corpus Christi Carroll, which swept the Jackets on the way to the Sweet 16. Flores lost key seniors in Allyson Rodriguez and Jozlyn Lara but wouldn’t go as far as calling 2018 a rebuilding year.
“Our record may not look good, but we toughened up our non-district schedule this year,” Flores said. “We went up against Weslaco (High), Los Fresnos, San Benito and Rio Hondo. I knew we really lacked in that area last year, so we wanted to face teams who are the kind of teams we could see if we make the playoffs. The more experience we have against tougher teams, the better off we’ll be. I think we’re exactly where we are supposed to be right now.”
Flores’ roster is heavy on freshmen, with upperclassmen sprinkled throughout.
“We have six freshmen, but we have five seniors and a mix of sophomores and juniors as well,” Flores said. “Our pitchers are freshmen, and we have seniors lead our infield.”