BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
ALAMO — PSJA Memorial has stared in the face of elimination once before in the UIL playoffs and survived. That was just last week when the Wolverines came from behind against Port Lavaca Calhoun.
The 31-5A district champions will need to dig deep and find two wins today in hostile territory after Corpus Christi Calallen held on for a 6-2 win Friday night.
“Against Port Lavaca, this is how we started. The score was similar (in Game 1),” Wolverines coach Rachel Barbosa-Gutierrez said. “I feel like these girls came out nervous a little against a team that we’ve never seen and who are just as aggressive as we are.”
Calallen scored during the first inning: a run scoring off an outfield error.
Hits, near hits and errors were the story of the night in a game of inches against one of the Coastal Bend’s best teams.
Memorial scored its first run after Elyssa Elizondo beat out a throw from right field to reach on a single. Starting pitcher Chelsea Salinas helped her own cause with an RBI single to knot the game at 1.
Capable defense from the Wildcats quickly showed that the Wolverines would need to capitalize on every chance. During the third inning, Memorial loaded the bases with no outs, but the damage was minimal.
Cassandra Cepeda singled to put the Wolverines ahead 2-1, but a base-running mistake on the play resulted in the first out. Calallen pitcher Lizette Del Angel helped her team navigate the jam.
“Yes, we had the lead at one point. I just feel like the errors — and I told the girls our errors are what’s going to lose games,” Barbosa-Gutierrez said. “Whoever makes the least errors that’s who’s going to win and in this case, that’s what happened.”
Calallen’s Del Angel started the fourth inning on base, and soon her pinch runner was rounding the bases to tie the game. The go-ahead run was a product of head’s up running. Elise Fuentes jolted home and the Wildcats had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Elizondo, a senior, said she might have expected more from the Wildcats, but her team couldn’t stay out of its own way in the opening game.
“The other team isn’t as spectacular as I would expected in the third round but we had quite a few errors and that’s what killed us on the field,” Elizondo said.
The second baseman said the loss threw a wrench in the plans. She said the bats need to come alive to support their workhorse, Salinas, in the circle.
“Our goal for this round was to win our first game, but unfortunately that didn’t happen, just because we have a doubleheader tomorrow. It’s going to be super hard for her (Salinas) but that’s where our team needs to step up and start hitting.”
Del Angel had eight strikeouts, most coming after grabbing the 3-2 lead. Calallen’s outfielders became a factor late as well. The left fielder made up a lot of ground in the bottom of the fifth to take a potential leadoff extra-base hit from Elizondo.
The Cats right fielder also brought the visiting crowd to its feet when she tossed Kristy Alanis out at first on a hit that became an out thanks to a quick arm.
“The girls have worked really, really hard all year and we’re very fortunate to have a lot of athletic girls right now,” Calallen coach Teresa Lentz said. “They do everything that they can and they give it everything they have in practice and then it shows in the game.”
Calallen will need one win to advance while PSJA Memorial will need to repeat the dramatics of the area round if they want to reach the regional tournament.
Game 2 is set for 5 p.m. at Cabaniss Complex in Corpus Christi with a third game taking place after if the Wolverines prevail.