San Antonio Stevens may have landed the first punch against La Joya High in Game 1 of their Region IV-6A area round playoff matchup, but it was the Coyotes who took the fight.
La Joya (20-1, 16-0) scored eight consecutive runs over the first four innings to take down S.A. Stevens 8-2 on Friday at Veterans Field in Laredo. The Coyotes now lead the best-of-three series 1-0.
The Coyotes’ bats lit the Falcons up with 10 hits. Angel Solis led the Coyotes with a 3-for-3 day with one RBI and three runs scored. Guti Gutierrez had a game-high three hits with two RBIs, while Salvador Lopez finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs. Alan Delgado was the fourth Coyote to notch multiple hits in the game.
La Joya junior pitcher J.C. Gutierrez, a Texas Tech commit, scattered four hits, four walks and one earned run across six innings while striking out 10. Hugo Cantu closed the show with two strikeouts during the seventh inning.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series between the Coyotes and Falcons is slated for 1 p.m. today at Veterans Field in Laredo. Game 3, if necessary, will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2.
The winner of La Joya High and San Antonio Stevens will advance to the Region IV-6A quarterfinals to face the winner of Harlingen High and Eagle Pass. Eagle Pass leads the series 1-0 after a 10-0 win over Harlingen on Friday night.