HENRY MILLER | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

McALLEN — Good-natured talk around the McAllen High dugout was that Chris Bernal Jr. had only “warning-track power.”

The Bulldogs third baseman must be sneaking some extra time in the weight room. Bernal hit a three-run home run that easily cleared the left-center field fence to extend McHi’s lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth, and the Bulldogs went on to a 10-3 victory against the PSJA High Bears in Game 1 of a Class 6A area round series on Friday.

Game 2 will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday at PSJA High. A third game, if necessary, will be played 30 minutes after the end of Game 2.

The Bulldogs cranked out 12 hits against the visiting Bears and got help from four PSJA errors. McAllen scored three runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings, with its 10th run coming in the sixth.

“This was good offensive baseball,” McAllen coach Eliseo Pompa said. “When you come out of the gates with three runs in the first, that certainly is a good start. Chris has been looking to get one out all year. He sure got it today.”

Pitcher Abanny Garcia earned the win, going 5 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs on eight hits and pitched out of a mild jam in the top of the fifth inning, during which McAllen let a ball drop between three fielders, missed a pop foul and committed an infield error. With one run in and runners on first and second, Garcia struck out Justin Morales to end the inning.

Down 3-0, PSJA’s Vicente Castillo homered to left-center with the bases empty to put the Bears on the board. Garcia sat down the next three batters to end the inning.

The Bulldogs struck for three more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Robbie Maldonado reached on an error and Bernal doubled to put runners at second and third. Jacob Vela drove in a run with a sacrifice to left, and with two outs, Aaron Nixon singled and advanced all the way to third on an outfield error as both runs scored to give McHi a 6-1 lead.

Nixon entered in relief with one out in the fifth and retired all five batters he faced, getting some defensive help in left from Maldonado, who crashed into the outfield wall while hauling in a long fly ball from PSJA’s Ariben Gutierrez.

“We put the ball in play, hit it well and threw strikes and didn’t walk too many players, so we are happy with the effort today,” said Pompa, adding that he wasn’t sure who was going to pitch in Saturday’s first game. “We have four kids who can throw, so pitching isn’t our problem.”

Moreno, Nixon and Garcia led off the game with two singles and a double as McHi’s bats were hot from the start.

“That just got us going right there,” Pompa said. “It was very productive and got us on the right track. Hopefully we can get 12 hits tomorrow, too.”

HENRY MILLER | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

“Energy” was the most popular word of the day on Thursday in the McAllen Memorial High School library.

The word is one that coaches, friends and teammates used when describing senior Jazaih Escamilla, who signed to be a part of the University of Texas at San Antonio powerlifting team, which won a national championship this season.

“It’s breathtaking,” said Escamilla, who also played football and was a main cog on Memorial’s state championship cheer team in UIL’s Division II. “This has been just a breathtaking experience. The last 24 hours have been nervous and hectic.”

At the end of April, the Roadrunner Powerlifting Club claimed the men’s team title at the USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships in College Station. The competition featured 36 collegiate teams from across the nation.

Escamilla, whose scholarship is a combination between athletics and academics thanks in part to a 4.30 GPA, began powerlifting as a sophomore.

“I didn’t even know what powerlifting was as a freshman,” he admitted.

However, he caught on quickly and started to excel.

“We got it right. This is a huge day for us,” Memorial powerlifting coach Joe Guerra said. “He came in and always put a lot of energy into his work. And because of him, workouts changed, and his leadership made it great. They are already a great program at UTSA, and they’re adding another great athlete and person.”

Escamilla, considered one of the top defensive backs in the Valley for Bill Littleton and the Mustangs football team, also had the opportunity to compete in the WABDL (World Association of Bench Pressers and Deadlifters) Magic Valley World Championships. He came home with second- and third-place trophies. His personal bests are a 565-pound squat, a 360-pound bench and a 505-pound dead lift.

That strength also made him a perfect fit for the state championship cheer team.

“He just showed up one day his senior year and said he wanted to do this,” said cheer coach Pedro Alvarez, who is in his 28th year leading the program. “From the start, he was like a ball of energy. He has awesome drive and unstoppable determination, and his spirit is just contagious. We were crowned state champs and he was there, right in the middle.”

Alvarez said powerlifting gave Escamilla an edge in a sport that is filled with stunts and in which explosive strength can only be helpful.

“(For) one of our stunts, he has to throw one of the girls, and he threw her all the way up,” Alvarez said. “We also have a signature stunt called toss chair, and he could almost pick up everyone on the team and toss them. The things that he does in powerlifting complement what he does in cheer; he uses a lot of those skills. Plus, whenever I ask him to do something, he’s always right on it.”

Escamilla said he couldn’t wait to start the next chapter in his lifting career.

“They are the best of the best, so just being around them is going to be exciting,” he said. “I couldn’t be in a better spot or more blessed than I am right now.”

HENRY MILLER | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

WESLACO — The Edinburg Vela SaberCats left their school to go to the ballpark a little later than normal for Saturday’s third and deciding game of their Class 6A bi-district matchup against Weslaco High.

“Looks like two hours of extra treatment really works,” Vela coach Jon Maples said. “We left Edinburg late, got here on time, and the girls felt good.”

Cleanup hitter Audrey Guerra hit her first home run of the season, Taylor Chavez hit her 10th of the season — and second of the series — and pitcher Naomi Reyes allowed just five hits as Vela scored in every inning but the first en route to a 9-1 victory. Vela advances to the area round of the playoffs to face Laredo Alexander.

Reyes, a Division I signee with Texas Southern University, gave up her only run in the first. Weslaco’s Alyssa Escamilla singled, advanced to second on a fielder’s choice and moved to third on a passed ball before Abby Luna drove her home with a single.

After that, it was all Vela. Reyes retired 13 straight batters from the second inning through the first out in the sixth.

The Panthers had gotten to Reyes in the late innings during the series’ previous two games, scoring four runs in the sixth and seventh inning in Game 1 and then scoring four off her in the seventh in Game 2.

She wasn’t planning on letting that happen again, even though Weslaco loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth. Instead, Reyes struck out Amberly Barrera to end the sixth. She also started the seventh with back-to-back strikeouts.

“She’s just a battler – that’s how she is,” Maples said. “That’s what you get from a D-I player.”

“The girls scored more runs and were hitting and gave me more of a cushion, so I was relaxed,” said Reyes, who struck out six in the complete-game win. “I could play with the hitters a little more, and I just relaxed. I was freer to throw my change-up and mix my pitches.”

Reyes said she hadn’t thrown games on three straight days “in a while.”

“I didn’t even know if I was going to do this game, because I was so exhausted,” she said. “But the girls were hitting, and we pulled through.”

Chavez once again was the offensive star for Vela, driving in the go-ahead run with a double in the third, hitting a solo home run to lead off the fifth and adding a run-scoring double in the sixth.

Third baseman Alyssa Cedillo also drove in two runs in the fifth as Vela led 6-1 after five. Cedillo more than made up for an error Thursday that allowed Weslaco to tie Game 1 in the seventh inning. On Saturday, she recorded three assists and two putouts. Both putouts were highlight-reel catches, one over her shoulder in foul territory and the other crashing up against the backstop fence.

“Her defense is strong, and one of those things that I know is she’s perfect for the corner spot,” said Maples, who got a Gatorade bath after the game. “She goes after the ball and doesn’t care if she crashes into the fence. That’s her wanting the ball and wanting to win. We weren’t going to back down here.”

Weslaco ended its season at 28-7, while Vela improved to 29-6. The teams came into the series with identical 27-5 records.

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.”

HENRY MILLER | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

DONNA — Orlando Hernandez was clearly flustered. After he mostly breezed through Tuesday’s first five innings, an error and two hit batsmen loaded the bases for the opposing Mercedes Tigers.

Donna North had just broken open a scoreless game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. The winner would either make the playoffs or face Brownsville Pace in a District 32-5A play-in game. The loser was done for the season.

Hernandez, a junior lefty for Donna North, took off his hat, peered into it and stepped back onto the mound before striking out Mando Reyes to end the inning, leading the Chiefs to a 5-0 victory in the District 32-5A regular-season finale for both teams. Pace’s win over Brownsville Lopez a few minutes later set up a play-in game for the final playoff spot. The game will be played Friday with time and site to be announced today.

Hernandez said what he saw in his hat has helped him turn his season around. In his past two outings, he has thrown two seven-inning complete games, giving up one unearned run and striking out 22. Tuesday night, he allowed just one hit and struck out 10 as the Donna North resurgence continued.

“I put a note inside my hat that says throw strikes, not balls, and stay focused,” said Hernandez, who mixed up his two-seam fastball, slider, curveball and change-up to keep the Tigers off-balance throughout the night en route to his 105-pitch performance. “It’s made a difference.”

The two pitchers dominated the first four innings, which took just more than an hour to play. Mercedes pitcher Isacc Zuniga faced only one batter more than the minimum through four innings. Donna North, however, broke through for four runs in the fifth, all coming with two outs.

“We had a chance but just didn’t make a play on defense, or we could’ve been out of the inning,” Mercedes coach Armando Reyes said. “We made a couple crucial mistakes that turned into four runs and made two baserunning errors. And hats off to Donna and their pitcher — they played a great game.”

Joey Ramirez started the rally by reaching after the first baseman’s foot came off the base on a throw from second. Jose Rojas singled and Oscar Salas walked to load the bases. Leadoff hitter Gerry Sanchez, who was hit in the face by a pitch when the teams met earlier this season in Mercedes, got a little payback with a slow roller to third that wasn’t picked up cleanly and thrown away, bringing in two runs. The Chiefs scored their third run on a wild pitch, and Sanchez scored the fourth run on another error.

“He’s been our leader this year, and I told him before the game to just put the ball in play. This was time for payback,” Donna North coach LeRoy Rodriguez said. “Of course, getting hit at Mercedes wasn’t on purpose, but we wanted to stay focused and challenge our team. They stood up to the challenge.”

Donna North started 1-5 in district play. Tuesday’s win lifted the Chiefs to 6-8 in the district.

“Nobody expected us to be anywhere near the playoffs,” Rodriguez said. “But we told the kids all year that they were a good team and they could make it. Something clicked, and now we’ve got a chance. We don’t plan on letting Pace rip that away from us. We’ve worked too hard to get where we are today.”

HENRY MILLER | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

McALLEN — Progreso forward Matthew Perez took a swing at the ball lying at his feet and missed. He regained his composure, swung again watched it hit the back of the net.

That goal was enough to propel the Red Ants to a 1-0 victory over Liberty Hill in the Class 4A Region IV final at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium. For the third straight year, Progreso is advancing to the state championship tournament in Georgetown. The team is in search of its first state title.

The Red Ants are scheduled to play Wednesday, with their opponent to be announced by the UIL on Sunday.

“The third time is the charm, they keep telling me,” Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez Jr. said. “We are going to go up there and represent the Valley and the Progreso community as well as we can.”

Progreso lost to Palestine 1-0 (4-3 in a penalty-kick shootout) in the state championship game in 2016 and fell to Bridgeport 2-0 in the semifinals last season.

The Red Ants have swept through five playoff games this year by a combined margin of 14-1. In Friday’s regional semifinal against Taylor, Progreso advanced 2-1 via penalty-kick shootout.

“It’s all because of these kids,” Jimenez said about the third straight trip to state. “They are resilient — yesterday was an example of that. Even though they were down in overtime, they kept saying that they were coming back. And it wasn’t in a panic — just confident. That’s how this program is.”

Hugo Guajardo’s pass with 25:45 remaining in the second half found Perez’s feet in the penalty box.

“I missed it the first time,” said Perez, a junior forward who scored his 31st goal of the season. “Then I had to look around to find it. As soon as I did, I swung again.”

The game’s lone goal came four minutes after Liberty Hill midfielder Colton Walter was issued a red card for physical play.

Just like in Friday’s victory, Progreso dominated most of Saturday’s game with field position, ball control and shots on goal. Liberty Hill kept most of its players on the defensive side, knowing that the high-powered Red Ants could score at a moment’s notice. But the visiting Panthers were also looking to counter with long balls, hoping to free up star forward Jaron Frye.

“We knew he was a big weapon. We knew if we left him alone, he would hurt us. He’s fast and strong and can score, so we decided to keep two on him,” Jimenez said. “If he got away from one, the other would be there.”

One of the players assigned to mark Frye was freshman Michael Vasquez, who would walk around, behind, or alongside Frye with his hands behind his back as if to say, “I’m not touching him.” The two talked to each other throughout the match.

When Frye turned to take off downfield after a long pass, Vasquez was there to slam the door shut.

“Coach told me to stay with him and don’t let him get a chance or get away,” Vasquez said. “He was very fast, but we stayed with him. We didn’t want him to go after a long ball.”

With 1:40 remaining in the game, however, Frye got a step past Vasquez, sprinted up the left sideline and started breaking toward the goal. Vasquez stayed tight, and the two ended up entangled, but with their arms straight down by their sides. Vasquez was issued a yellow card for the hold.

“I wasn’t going to let him score,” Vasquez said. “He would’ve had a chance then.”

The game flowed more than Progreso’s previous matchup, against Taylor. In that game, the Ducks stuffed the defensive side of the field, especially in the middle, forcing the Red Ants to keep the ball on the outside. Liberty Hill let Progreso’s offense have a little more freedom, knowing that the Panthers had senior Parker Sargent, one of the best keepers in the state, as a last line of defense.

But the Red Ants did have chances. Miguel Puentes hit the crossbar with a shot midway through the first period, and two corner kicks that went to the far side of the goal ended up with open looks and missed attempts, all before Perez scored for the second straight game to secure the win.