BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — The Rio Grande City Rattlers were the aggressors Tuesday night from the moment the game began.
Rio Grande City’s first three batters all reached base safely. Shortstop Dana Gonzalez led off with a single, third baseman Samantha Lopez brought Gonzalez in with a double, and second baseman Natalie Rios reached on a single. That was the beginning of a seemingly never-ending night for Sharyland High, which lost 19-6 in six innings.
“Every win is important,” Rio Grande City coach Nicole Smedley said. “Coming out 7-1 through the first round of district play is huge.”
Rio (13-6, 7-1) scored two in the first, but Sharyland High answered with a two-run inside-the-park home run by designated player Tristen Maddox to knot the game at two. Rio put up three spots in the next two innings and never looked back.
By the end of the third inning, Rio Grande City had gone through its lineup three times, while Sharyland High’s No. 9 hitter, Jill Rose, had her first official at-bat to start the home half of the frame.
Sharyland (6-12, 4-4) also experienced problems in the field. The Rattlers middle infielders were out due to injury, forcing coach Paul Cruz to move new players into the positions. Routine grounders and line drives were mishandled across the diamond by the homestanding Rattlers, resulting in 13 errors.
“We can’t win a game if we make 13 errors,” Cruz said. “We’re dealing with some injuries. My true shortstop, when she isn’t pitching, is Tristen (Maddox). My second baseman injured her ACL, but we’re not making any excuses. We have to step it up. We have to go ahead and get after it a little harder in practice. If we need to fill those spots in an emergency, they have to realize that they need to get after it and help the team. They might be out of position, but we have to work on that.”
The Rio Rattlers aren’t a team that wins solely on the mistakes of their opponent, but Smedley said she will gladly take them when they come.
“We’re creating the errors because we’re hitting the ball hard,” Smedley said. “We earned those, because we’re seeing the ball and putting it in play as opposed to striking out.”
Rio Grande City junior pitcher Aaliyah Lopez had her strongest start of the district season, according to Smedley. Lopez pitched 5 2/3, allowing 11 hits, six runs, four walks and striking out three.
Lopez is a full-time varsity contributor this season after splitting time between JV and varsity in 2017.
“I’m getting more comfortable and relaxed as the season goes,” Lopez said. “Before the game, I wasn’t actually feeling it at all. I didn’t think I was going to do well today, but my teammates told me to relax and they got my back. If I located, I knew they’d be in their spots to make plays behind me.”
Rio Grande City and Sharyland Pioneer entered Tuesday tied atop District 31-5A at 6-1. With Rio’s win over Sharyland High and Sharyland Pioneer’s loss to Roma on Tuesday, RGC owns sole possession of first place in the district at the halfway mark of district play.
“We’re trying to get the district title,” Smedley said. “That’s something that every team strives for at the beginning of the year. It’s realistic and attainable for us, but we’re going to have to take every pitch, every out, and every inning to reach our goal at the end of each game.”