ROBSTOWN — Weslaco High hung around with San Antonio O’Connor, the defending Class 6A state champs, but lost 5-4 in Game 1 of a Region IV-6A quarterfinal series.
Weslaco High hit into a double play during the top of the seventh inning to end Game 1 at Robstown High School on Thursday and give San Antonio O’Connor the one-game lead.
Game 2 is set for 6:30 p.m. today at Robstown High School. Game 3 is Saturday if needed.
Weslaco High came within a run in the sixth inning when Dayla Hinojosa hit a sac fly with bases loaded, making it 5-4 with only one out. San Antonio pitcher Tivoli Martinez then maneuvered out of the jam to end the inning.
“I think we just need to relax a little bit more and see the ball better,” Weslaco High head coach Mario Rodriguez said. “We just have to come back (today), execute and hit when it matters.”
Weslaco High’s Emalee Galvan drove in a run in the top of the fourth to tie it at 3. San Antonio O’Connor responded in the bottom half to make it 5-3 after Meiko Dominguez drove in two runs with a double.
Weslaco High first baseman Elizabeth Craig smashed a two-run home run over the left-field wall in the top of the first. O’Connor responded in the bottom of the first with two runs and another in the second to go up 3-2. The San Antonio school pulled their starting pitcher in favor of Martinez after the first inning.
Martinez mixed her off-speed pitches to move ahead in counts or pick up the occasional strikeout.
“We knew that coming in,” Rodriguez said of Martinez’s off-speed pitching. “She just had us going there for a little bit. We need to focus on us, make adjustments that we need to do, not worry about so much of what they have and put the focus on us.”
Rodriguez said they did give themselves some chances toward the end of Game 1. The Panthers worked Martinez and had plenty of runners in scoring positions when threatening late but did not pick up the hit to bust the game open, and O’Connor made some nice snags when Weslaco High made contact.
“The ball just did not bounce our way at the end. Sometimes the ball has to bounce your way,” Rodriguez said.
Lyford also was in action Thursday night. The Bulldogs shut out Corpus Christi London to advance to the Class 3A regional semifinal round.