BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Monday’s rainfall put softball coaches in all parts of the Valley in precarious situations. Coaches were already shuffling their schedule around due to STAAR testing, and the potential of playing games on rain-soaked softball fields made matters worse.
On Tuesday afternoon, Edinburg Vela coach Jon Maples wasn’t sure his field would be able to host PSJA Memorial in an important matchup between two teams who entered the day tied for second place in District 31-6A.
“Coach (Lottie) Zarate and I came out and checked the field, and second base was underwater,” Maples said. “We needed a team effort to get the field ready. Coach Zarate brought brooms, and tennis gave us rollers. Baseball had their game cancelled at EHS, so some varsity players were here helping us rake with the girls. If you saw the field at 2:30 p.m., you would have thought there was no way we were going to play.
“We knew we had to play tonight. We didn’t need to play on Thursday and then play on Friday. These games are huge.”
Facing a two-run deficit, the SaberCats staged a four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to take down the Wolverines (21-8, 7-4) 6-4.
Vela starter Naomi Reyes was nearly untouchable during the first three innings, allowing two hits and striking out four batters. But she ran into trouble in the fourth. After PSJA Memorial scored the first run of the inning to tie the game at one, the Wolverines had a runner on first and the tying run at third base with two outs.
Wolverines shortstop Kristin Maldonado laid down a bunt that went back to Reyes. Reyes fielded the grounder and thought about throwing home to cut down the runner from third, but then decided to throw to first at the last moment. Maldonado was safe at first, allowing the Wolverines’ leading run to score.
In the fifth, Reyes gave up a two-run single to Victoria Maldonado that gave the Wolverines a 4-2 lead.
“I wasn’t hitting my spots,” Reyes said. “They were a little off. I was working from behind, which caused those hits and walks.”
PSJA Memorial pitcher Chelsea Salinas faced the bottom third of the Vela order to open the sixth inning, and all three hitters reached to load the bases. Junior leadoff hitter Gabriela Villarreal stepped to the plate and laced a three-run triple into the gap to put the SaberCats (24-5, 8-3) up for good.
“I saw the perfect pitch that I needed to hit,” Villarreal said. “It was an outside pitch, which I haven’t waited on that well in the past, but I’ve been able to do this year. That has really helped our team a lot when we find ourselves in that situation.”