BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — On Weslaco High’s senior night Friday, the seniors got the job done from beginning to end.
Senior pitcher Rico Avila started and earned the complete-game win on the mound, and senior left fielder Evan Margo drove in the final run with a walk-off double to the right-center field gap.
“Before the game, I got a little emotional, because all of my family, my grandparents, everyone, they were all here to support me and the rest of the team,” Margo said. “I got to come through at the end, for the seniors and for everybody, to get the win.”
The District 32-6A-leading Panthers beat the San Benito Greyhounds 12-2 in five innings on Friday night.
“We clinched a playoff spot for our 13th consecutive year,” Weslaco High coach Eddie Serna said. “Every year, these guys feel the pressure of making it into the playoffs. Once we get that box checked, it frees them up to just go out there and play.”
Seniors Avila, Margo, catcher Luis Longoria and designated hitter Marco Leal were all on the field for the Panthers on Friday.
“I remember my first game. All of us seniors played together as freshmen,” Avila said. “Here we are four years later, and we are all still wearing the purple and white. And wearing it well.”
Avila said he didn’t have his best start, but the Panthers are in such good form that it didn’t matter. The heart of Weslaco’s lineup gave Avila the run support he needed.
Longoria went 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs. Avila went 2 for 3 with a triple and three RBIs. Margot went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and a stolen base, plus his game-ending RBI.
Avila surrendered a run in the opening frame, but the Panthers had a response ready, plating three in the bottom half.
“I think (Avila) was a little amped up with senior night and everything,” Serna said. “Once he settled down, he found his groove, and we were fine. … I told him, ‘Just settle in, and we will get you your run support.’ We knew we were going to come through.”
The Panthers exploded for seven runs in the third, and Avila was a big reason why. With two runners on and two outs, he launched a liner up the middle that rolled past San Benito’s center fielder and to the wall.
“I just tried to crowd the plate,” Avila said. “I was just waiting on one. I drilled one (foul), and I almost hit coach Serna. I took one down the middle, and when I saw him bobble it a little bit, I just took off.”
The bobble allowed three runs to score on what looked like a routine single.
Before the game, the Panthers held a ceremony to honor the seniors.
“It’s very special,” Avila said. “Playing with these brothers that I grew up with, and wearing this purple and white, it really means something to you.”
The Panthers are playing some of their best ball with two weeks left in the season.
“The top of the lineup has been really hot,” Serna said. “We can depend on our whole lineup to deliver, but when they all get rolling like that, it’s hard to stop them.”
Weslaco closes out its district season with a series against Los Fresnos starting Tuesday.
“We are expecting a good atmosphere and an exciting series with a good team,” Serna said.
The Panthers have plenty on the horizon, with a district title at their fingertips and a playoff push ready to commence. But Friday was about enjoying the win and remembering the fun times with the seniors.
“I love when we win with Rico on the mound,” Longoria said. “Because we have been friends for so long, and when he gets the win, he is happy, and that makes me happy.”