HENRY MILLER | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — Audrey Escamilla’s bases-loaded single turned into a three-base error to score four runners in the third inning, and the Weslaco High Panthers forced a deciding Game 3 with a 12-3 win against the Edinburg Vela SaberCats in their Class 6A bi-district playoff series on Friday.
The Panthers added one run in the fifth before breaking the game open with seven runs in the top of the seventh.
Game 3 will be at 7 p.m. today in Weslaco. Both teams came into the series with identical 27-5 records.
Jordan Diaz reached on an error to start the third inning, and with one out Charlene DeAnda and Alyssa Escamilla both singled to load the bases for Audrey Escamilla, who singled to left and kept running after the ball got away.
“I thought we let one get away from us yesterday,” Weslaco coach Mario Rodriguez said. “So we came out today and got a couple of hits and put some pressure on them, and we were fortunate enough to come out victorious.”
Edinburg Vela scored a run in the fourth. Taylor Chavez, who hit a game-winning home run in the eighth inning on Thursday, singled and Audrey Guerra reached on an error. Alyssa Cedillo singled to drive in a run, and an error brought in the second run. Weslaco pitcher Ashley Sada, however, got Amber Guerra to hit into a double play to end the SaberCats threat.
Weslaco scored another run to go up 5-2 in the top of the fifth on an RBI single from Gaby Rivera. The Pan-thers then sent 12 batters to the plate in the top of the seventh, collecting six hits and a walk with two players reaching on errors.
Gabriela Villarreal hit a run-scoring triple in the fifth, and Rodriguez replaced Sada with Alyssa Escamilla, who struck Derissa Buenrostra and induced a pop out from Audrey Guerra to end the inning.
“We’ve done it all year,” Rodriguez said about switching his two pitchers. “It’s something we talk about as coaches. Each of those pitchers are unique, and sometimes we want to give a different look to who is coming to the plate. We’ve been fortunate that it has paid off for us. Ashley and Alyssa are a great one-two punch that we have.”