VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Wednesday’s Games

District 32-4A

Grulla 20, Progreso 3

Zapata 18, Hidalgo 0

Rio Hondo 4, Port Isabel 0

Raymondville 12, La Feria 0, 5 innings

Non-District

San Antonio Incarnate Word 5, San Benito 3

Thursday’s Games

District 31-6A

Edinburg North at Weslaco East, 11 a.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg High, 11 a.m.

Weslaco High at Donna North, 11 a.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at PSJA Southwest, 11 a.m.

Mission Veterans at Sharyland Pioneer, 6 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

Non-District

PSJA High at Harlingen South, 11 a.m.

Mercedes at La Joya High, canceled

Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Pace, 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, March 19

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.

PSJA High at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

Mission High at McAllen Rowe, 7 p.m.

La Joya High at PSJA North, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Donna North at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.

Edinburg High at Weslaco High, 7 p.m.

Weslaco East at Edinburg Economedes, 7 p.m.

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at San Benito, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Rivera, 6:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Roma, 7 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Valley View, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Porter, 7 p.m.

District 32-4A

Progreso at Rio Hondo, 6 p.m.

Hidalgo at Raymondville, 7 p.m.

La Feria at Grulla, 7 p.m.

Zapata at Port Isabel, 7 p.m.

Friday, March 22

District 30-6A

PSJA North at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at La Joya High, 7 p.m.

Mission High at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

Edinburg Vela at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.

Weslaco High at Weslaco East, 7 p.m.

District 32-6A

San Benito at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Los Fresnos, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at Brownsville Hanna, 6:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Lopez, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 23

District 32-4A

Grulla at Hidalgo, noon

Rio Hondo at La Feria, noon

Port Isabel at Progreso, 6 p.m.

Zapata at Raymondville, 7 p.m.

[email protected]

BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — PSJA North first-year coach Stephanie Lugo had no preference where. All she wanted was a chance to return to the Valley.

“I always wanted to come back to the Valley and help out,” Lugo said. “PSJA (ISD) took a chance on me here with PSJA North. I wanted to come back and give what it gave to me.”

Lugo is originally from Harlingen where she played softball for Debbie Esparza at Harlingen South. As a senior at Harlingen South, Lugo signed a letter of intent to continue her athletic career at Temple College. Her outstanding play in Central Texas earned her a roster spot at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

After graduating from TAMUK, she became an assistant coach at Corpus Christi Calallen before getting the job with the Raiders.

The roster’s mix of youth and experience, Lugo says, is one of the reasons PSJA North is playing its best softball in quite some time. The mix helped the Raiders down the Mission High Eagles 16-2 Tuesday in five innings.

“We have five seniors and they’ve all been such a big help for us,” Lugo said. “My seniors have let me know about what they want this year to be and I’ve brought in what I needed to bring in. There’s a positive vibe with the girls. I wanted to make them feel that we are a family and we’re going to go through everything together. As long as we do things together, we’re going to be perfectly fine.”

The seniors had their fingerprints all over the game on Tuesday night. Senior pitcher Andrea Salazar got the Raiders on the board with a solo home run to left with one out in the second inning to go up 1-0.

PSJA North’s offense broke the game open in the fourth inning when it sent 12 batters to the plate and eight of them scored. Senior left-fielder Kendra Garcia batted twice in the frame. She collected a double, a run-scoring single and scored a run. Senior catcher Giselle Gutierrez drove in a run, stole a base and then came around to score the Raiders’ third run of the fourth inning.

The Raiders added five more runs in the fifth.

“I’m not sure how, but we seem to get things going in the third or fourth innings,” Lugo said. “They kind of scare me a little bit when we do, but the girls knew it was time to help our pitchers out. They get into gear in the third inning, but we’re trying to fix that a little bit.”

Through two innings, Mission High (2-2 in district) and PSJA North were knotted at 1 before the Raiders’ onslaught began.

“They (PSJA North) got the timing down on our pitches and they went to a short game,” Mission High coach Priscilla Aparicio said. “I think they knew that if they went to a power-hitting game, my outfield would be able to cover ground out there pretty well. They just slapped the ball and put it in play.”

PSJA North (4-0 in district) first baseman Jenna Fabela is a part of the capable youth Lugo touted. Fabela had a big night, reaching base three times and scoring every time. She had an RBI double in the fourth and added a two-run double in the fifth.

“It wasn’t just me. It was a whole team effort,” Fabela said. “I’m coming in as a freshman with coaches who know what they want out of us. I’m blessed to have coaches like them and proud to have these girls as teammates.”

[email protected]

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 11, McAllen High 1, 6 innings

PSJA High 7, McAllen Rowe 6, 8 innings

La Joya High 10, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0

PSJA North 16, Mission High 2, 5 innings

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 8, Weslaco High 4

Edinburg North 10, Edinburg High 2

Edinburg Economedes 10, Donna North 4

District 31-5A

PSJA Memorial 11, PSJA Southwest 1

Sharyland Pioneer 10, Sharyland High 9

Mission Veterans 8, La Joya Palmview 4

Rio Grande City 11, Roma 9

District 32-5A

Mercedes 3, Edcouch-Elsa 1

Donna High 17, Brownsville Pace 1

Brownsville Lopez 7, Brownsville Porter 5, 8 innings

Brownsville Veterans 16, Valley View 0, 3 innings

Non-District

San Antonio Incarnate Word at Rio Hondo, canceled

San Benito 4, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway 3

Harlingen South 17, Weslaco East 7

Wednesday’s Games

District 32-4A

Grulla at Progreso, 7 p.m.

Zapata at Hidalgo, 7 p.m.

Port Isabel at Rio Hondo, 7 p.m.

Raymondville at La Feria, 7 p.m.

Non-District

PSJA North at Brownsville Veterans, canceled

San Antonio Incarnate Word at San Benito, 3 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

District 31-6A

Edinburg North at Weslaco East, 11 a.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg High, 11 a.m.

Weslaco High at Donna North, 11 a.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at PSJA Southwest, 11 a.m.

Mission Veterans at Sharyland Pioneer, 6 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

Non-District

PSJA High at Harlingen South, 11 a.m.

Mercedes at La Joya High, 11 a.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Pace, 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, March 19

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.

PSJA High at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

Mission High at McAllen Rowe, 7 p.m.

La Joya High at PSJA North, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Donna North at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.

Edinburg High at Weslaco High, 7 p.m.

Weslaco East at Edinburg Economedes, 7 p.m.

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at San Benito, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Rivera, 6:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Roma, 7 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Valley View, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Porter, 7 p.m.

District 32-4A

Progreso at Rio Hondo, 6 p.m.

Hidalgo at Raymondville, 7 p.m.

La Feria at Grulla, 7 p.m.

Zapata at Port Isabel, 7 p.m.

Friday, March 22

District 30-6A

PSJA North at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at La Joya High, 7 p.m.

Mission High at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

Edinburg Vela at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.

Weslaco High at Weslaco East, 7 p.m.

District 32-6A

San Benito at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Los Fresnos, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at Brownsville Hanna, 6:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Lopez, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 23

District 32-4A

Grulla at Hidalgo, noon

Rio Hondo at La Feria, noon

Port Isabel at Progreso, 6 p.m.

Zapata at Raymondville, 7 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL BOX SCORE

Tuesday’s Game

District 30-6A

PSJA NORTH 16, MISSION HIGH 2, 5 INNINGS

PSJA North 012 85 — 16

Mission High 011 00 — 2

WP: Heaven Lozano 3 innings, 1 run, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, 3 strikeouts.

PSJA NORTH (16): Alexia Salinas 0 for 1, 3 runs, 2 walks; K. Luera 3 for 4, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Angel Lozano 0 for 2, walk, run; Heaven Lozano 1 for 3, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Andrea Salazar 1 for 3, home run, 2 RBI; Jenna Fabela 2 for 4, 3 runs, 2 doubles, 3 RBI; Kendra Garcia 2 for 3, run, walk, double, RBI; Giselle Gutierrez 1 for 4, run, stolen base, RBI; C. Morales 2 for 3, 2 runs, double, RBI.

MISSION HIGH (2): Evelyn Navarro 1 for 1, RBI; Azanet Flores 0 for 0, run; Miranda Garcia 0 for 2, run, walk

RECORDS: PSJA North 4-0 in district; Mission High 2-2 in district.

PSJA HIGH 7, McALLEN ROWE 6, 8 INNINGS

McAllen Rowe 002 012 01 — 6

PSJA High 002 300 02 — 7

McALLEN ROWE (6): Destiny Menchaca 2 for 5; Ashley Barriero 2 for 3.

RECORDS: PSJA High 3-1 in district; McAllen Rowe 2-2 in district.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG NORTH 10, EDINBURG HIGH 2

Edinburg High 001 001 0 — 2

Edinburg North 036 100 0 — 10

WP: Natalie Rodriguez 7 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts.

EDINBURG NORTH (10): Jessica Diaz 1 for 4, 2 runs, RBI; Annabel Segoviano 4 for 4, 2 runs, 3 doubles, 3 RBI; Natalie Rodriguez 2 for 4, run, double, 3 RBI; Patty Davila 1 for 4, 2 RBI; Mara Guerra 1 for 3, run, walk.

EDINBURG HIGH (2): Secilia Lopez 2 for 4; Maya Zavala 1 for 2, run, double; Julia Tamez 1 for 3, RBI.

RECORDS: Edinburg North 15-6; 2-1; Edinburg High 1-1 in district.

[email protected]

BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

SAN JUAN — PSJA High pitcher Elaine Madera was a freshman on a playoff-bound Bears club armed with one of the district’s co-Coaches of the Year (Teresa Thibodeaux), Offensive Player of the Year (Jennifer Lopez) and Defensive Player of the Year (Gabie Fonseca).

After Madera’s freshman season, those three familiar faces were all gone. She had a lot of growing up to do quickly.

PSJA High’s 2017 and 2018 seasons were rebuilding years. With her father, Eric, moving into the head coaching position, Elaine was called on to shoulder the brunt of the workload in the circle.

“Staying focused is the one thing you have to do,” Madera said. “You can’t have any distractions. It was a big workload because you have everyone in your ear telling you stuff, shouting at you. But they’re your seven innings and you need to get through them. Clear the mechanism and focus on your game.”

One hobby of Madera’s that continues to help her focus in the circle is singing, which Madera says, runs in her family.

“My mom can sing as well, so we have fun singing together,” Madera said. “I’ve always been one to take the stage. When I was 4 or 5 years old, I remember being at this party place where there was a stage and a microphone. I was like, ‘Give me that mic! I want that!’ I was by myself on the stage singing and entertaining people. I like entertaining people. I like putting on a show.”

“That’s a joy of hers. She sings at the house all the time,” PSJA High coach Eric Madera said. “I catch myself sometimes, practicing with her even though I have no idea how to sing. I’ve always told her, ‘If softball doesn’t work out, you might go into singing.’”

Elaine has a recording booth in her home, which sometimes serves as her fortress of solitude.

“I go in there on my own and close the door, but my parents can still hear me singing through the house,” Elaine Madera said. “I download a little karaoke version of a song from YouTube to my MacBook and press record. Whether I mess up or I don’t, it’s fun. I love Beyoncé, so I’m always listening to her and trying to match her pitches. I have a strong imagination, so I think I’m her sometimes when I sing. I’ve thought about starting a YouTube channel of my own, but you never what can happen with it. It’s something that I can relax to with everything that’s on my shoulders.”

January 24 was shaping up to be the biggest day in Elaine’s life. Not only would it be her 18th birthday, but it was also the day she signed a letter of intent to play college softball at Prairie View A&M.

Madera’s cumulative performance playing at PSJA High and Next Generation, an Austin-based softball travel team, had finally paid off.

“It was a full day,” Madera said. “My grandpa ended up passing on my birthday, as well. He worked at the Pulga in Mercedes. He loved being there. Sometimes I went and helped him out at work. He always kept up with my dad. Every Sunday, he’d come over to my house. Knowing that it happened on my birthday, I took it hard because I’ll always love my grandpa dearly. I’m not wearing it now, but I have a visor with angels on it in memory of him. This season is all for him.”

The Bears are on the prowl again, sporting a healthy 14-5 regular season record entering the week. PSJA High moved from 31-6A to 30-6A, its third different district since 2016.

The change in districts, which included the PSJA North Raiders joining the Bears, contributed to some early parity in 30-6A through three games. PSJA North is the lone 3-0 team in the district, but the Raiders are followed by McAllen Memorial, McAllen Rowe, Mission High and PSJA High, all of which are 2-1 in district play.

PSJA High will host McAllen Rowe at 7 tonight.

“We’re a whole different team than we were the last couple years,” Eric Madera said. “We had a lot of freshmen on the team two to three years ago, but a lot of these girls are juniors now. They’ve grown up and they know what’s expected of them each and every game. Getting a playoff berth this season is a must for us.”

“All the girls are on board about what we want to accomplish this year,” Elaine Madera said. “We’ve bonded well and we all get along. Everyone comes to practice ready to work. We haven’t made the playoffs since my freshman year. Mind you, we were also district champs my freshman year and that’s also a goal for us, too. I think the district is all up for grabs. We’re striving for that.”

[email protected]

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Monday’s Games

District 32-4A

Raymondville 21, Progreso 0, 3 innings

Port Isabel 17, Hidalgo 2, 3 innings

Rio Hondo 16, Grulla 0

Zapata 2, La Feria 0

Non-District

San Antonio Incarnate Word 5, Los Fresnos 4

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McAllen High at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at La Joya High, 7 p.m.

PSJA North at Mission High, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela at Weslaco High, 7 p.m.

Edinburg High at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

Donna North at Edinburg Economedes, 7 p.m.

District 31-5A

PSJA Southwest at PSJA Memorial, 11 a.m.

Sharyland High at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Roma, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.

Donna High at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Brownsville Lopez, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Brownsville Veterans, 7 p.m.

Non-District

San Antonio Incarnate Word at Rio Hondo, 11 a.m.

Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway at San Benito, 6 p.m.

Weslaco East at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday’s Games

District 32-4A

Grulla at Progreso, 7 p.m.

Zapata at Hidalgo, 7 p.m.

Port Isabel at Rio Hondo, 7 p.m.

Raymondville at La Feria, 7 p.m.

Non-District

PSJA North at Brownsville Veterans, 1 p.m.

San Antonio Incarnate Word at San Benito, 3 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

District 31-6A

Edinburg North at Weslaco East, 11 a.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg High, 11 a.m.

Weslaco High at Donna North, 11 a.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at PSJA Southwest, 11 a.m.

Mission Veterans at Sharyland Pioneer, 6 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

Non-District

PSJA High at Harlingen South, 11 a.m.

Mercedes at La Joya High, 11 a.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Pace, 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, March 19

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.

PSJA High at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

Mission High at McAllen Rowe, 7 p.m.

La Joya High at PSJA North, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Donna North at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.

Edinburg High at Weslaco High, 7 p.m.

Weslaco East at Edinburg Economedes, 7 p.m.

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at San Benito, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Rivera, 6:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Roma, 7 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Valley View, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Porter, 7 p.m.

District 32-4A

Progreso at Rio Hondo, 6 p.m.

Hidalgo at Raymondville, 7 p.m.

La Feria at Grulla, 7 p.m.

Zapata at Port Isabel, 7 p.m.

Friday, March 22

District 30-6A

PSJA North at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at La Joya High, 7 p.m.

Mission High at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

Edinburg Vela at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.

Weslaco High at Weslaco East, 7 p.m.

District 32-6A

San Benito at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Los Fresnos, 6:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at Brownsville Hanna, 6:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Lopez, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 23

District 32-4A

Grulla at Hidalgo, noon

Rio Hondo at La Feria, noon

Port Isabel at Progreso, 6 p.m.

Zapata at Raymondville, 7 p.m.

[email protected]

BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

MERCEDES — Over the past few seasons, Brownsville Veterans has had one of the top pitching staffs in the Valley.

The tandem of Cassie Valdez and Mia Anzaldua helped the Chargers win district titles and make playoff appearances. With Valdez signing with UTSA before transferring to Texas State after the fall 2018 semester, Anzaldua became Brownsville Veterans’ ace in her senior season and hasn’t disappointed.

The lefthanded-throwing Anzaldua dominated Mercedes in and out of the circle on Friday. She struck out 11 Tigers in a five-inning no-hitter and drove in four runs in Brownsville Veterans’ 11-0 victory at Betty C. Morrell Softball Field.

“She was spot-on today,” Brownsville Veterans coach Rayner Cardenas said of Anzaldua. “She was extremely focused after Tuesday’s game against Donna (High). She was very quiet and focused at practice this week. The performance that she put up today is an example of all the hard work she puts in. Mercedes is a great team and a program we respect. It took a great effort from her and our offense to come out victorious tonight.”

Anzaldua pitched in the Chargers’ last three district games against Mercedes. Brownsville Veterans won all three of Anzaldua’s starts.

“The feeling that you’re going to have a good game starts early in the day,” Anzaldua said. “It’s how you prepare yourself for that specific game. They’re a good ball club. You have to come out there and do what you can for your team.”

Anzaldua brought home Brownsville Veterans’ first two runs of the game on a sacrifice fly in the first inning and an RBI single in the third. The bottom began to fall out for Mercedes, who allowed nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings combined.

The Chargers got to Tiger starter Mika Vento in the fourth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Vento dropped a popup that should have ended the inning. Instead, Jocelyn Head and Valeria Ruiz came home to score to push the Brownsville Veterans (14-6-1, 3-0) lead to 4-0. The next batter was Anzaldua, who penciled in her third and fourth runs batted in on a single.

Kassidie Rodriguez relieved Vento in the fifth. Rodriguez started off strong, retiring the first two Chargers hitters, but the top of the Brownsville Veterans lineup kept the inning alive.

Sophomore leadoff hitter Mariangel Barbosa drove in a run with a single and catcher Natelie Mendoza followed Barbosa with a two-run triple to make it 9-0. Barbosa reached base four times on Friday.

“Mariangel was a JV kid last year and our catcher (Mendoza) is a freshman,” Cardenas said. “There are a lot of new parts in new places, just like Mercedes does. These kids work hard at practice. Their demeanor is great and they’re very respectful. I’m happy for everything they do to wash the pressure away and perform.”

Mercedes (11-8-1, 2-1) committed three of its six errors in the fifth inning.

“That’s just not us,” Mercedes coach Kristy Leal said. “It was something that was out of the ordinary for our team. At the end of the day, we needed someone to step in and stop the bleeding. It didn’t happen for us tonight. We didn’t show up.”

[email protected]

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

PSJA High 2, McAllen Memorial 1

La Joya High 19, McAllen High 11

PSJA North 3, McAllen Rowe 1

Mission High 14, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 1

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 26, Edinburg Economedes 0

Edinburg High 13, Weslaco East 3, 5 innings

Edinburg North 15, Donna North 0

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer 16, La Joya Palmview 0, 4 innings

PSJA Memorial 14, Rio Grande City 0

Sharyland High 9, Roma 5

Mission Veterans 21, PSJA Southwest 6, 5 innings

District 32-5A

Brownsville Lopez 9, Brownsville Pace 7

Edcouch-Elsa 13, Donna High 0

Brownsville Veterans 11, Mercedes 0, 5 innings

Valley View 15, Brownsville Porter 5, 5 innings

District 32-4A

Zapata 20, Progreso 0

La Feria 12, Hidalgo 2

Port Isabel 14, Grulla 4, 5 innings

Rio Hondo 10, Raymondville 0, 6 innings

Non-District

Harlingen South 16, Brownsville Rivera 1

Harlingen High 10, Brownsville Hanna 9

Los Fresnos 13, Weslaco High 6

Monday’s Games

District 32-4A

Progreso at Raymondville, 7 p.m.

Hidalgo at Port Isabel, 7 p.m.

Rio Hondo at Grulla, 7 p.m.

La Feria at Zapata, 7 p.m.

Non-District

San Antonio Incarnate Word at Los Fresnos, 6 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McAllen High at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at La Joya High, 7 p.m.

PSJA North at Mission High, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela at Weslaco High, 7 p.m.

Edinburg High at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

Donna North at Edinburg Economedes, 7 p.m.

District 31-5A

PSJA Southwest at PSJA Memorial, 11 a.m.

Sharyland High at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Roma, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.

Donna High at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Brownsville Lopez, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Brownsville Veterans, 7 p.m.

Non-District

San Antonio Incarnate Word at Rio Hondo, 11 a.m.

Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway at San Benito, 6 p.m.

Weslaco East at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday’s Games

District 32-4A

Grulla at Progreso, 7 p.m.

Zapata at Hidalgo, 7 p.m.

Port Isabel at Rio Hondo, 7 p.m.

Raymondville at La Feria, 7 p.m.

Non-District

PSJA North at Brownsville Veterans, 1 p.m.

San Antonio Incarnate Word at San Benito, 3 p.m.

Thursday, March 14

District 31-6A

Edinburg North at Weslaco East, 11 a.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg High, 11 a.m.

Weslaco High at Donna North, 11 a.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at PSJA Southwest, 11 a.m.

Mission Veterans at Sharyland Pioneer, 6 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

Non-District

PSJA High at Harlingen South, 11 a.m.

Mercedes at La Joya High, 11 a.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Pace, 11:30 a.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

PSJA NORTH 3, McALLEN ROWE 1

Score by inning not reported.

McALLEN ROWE (1): Laurynn Garciá 1 for 4; Destiny Menchaca 1 for 3, run; Ziomara Jasso 1 for 3, RBI; Deandra Hernandez 1 for 1, 2 walks; Ashley Barreiro 1 for 3.

District 32-5A

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS 11, MERCEDES 0, 5 INNINGS

Brownsville Vets 101 45 — 11

Mercedes 000 00 — 0

WP: Mia Anzaldua 5 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 11 strikeouts.

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS (11): Mariangel Barbosa 2 for 2, 2 walks, double, stolen base, 4 runs, RBI; Natalie Mendoza 1 for 4, triple, 2 RBI; Mia Anzaldua 2 for 3, run, 4 RBI; Sarah Gomez 2 for 3; Jocelyn Head 1 for 2, run.

RECORDS: Brownsville Veterans 14-6-1, 3-0; Mercedes 11-8-1, 2-1.

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McAllen High 11, McAllen Rowe 1

McAllen Memorial 7, Mission High 5

PSJA High 6, La Joya High 1

PSJA North 9, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 1

District 32-6A

Harlingen High 4, San Benito 0

Harlingen South 2, Los Fresnos 1

Brownsville Rivera 7, Brownsville Hanna 0

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 10, Rio Hondo 1

Zapata 8, Grulla 0

Progreso 5, La Feria 4

Non-District

Sharyland High 25, Donna North 5, 5 innings

PSJA Memorial 7, Edcouch-Elsa 6, 8 innings

PSJA Southwest 13, Santa Rosa 1, 5 innings

Thursday’s Games

Non-District

San Antonio Baseball Classic

McAllen High; Brownsville Hanna

ECISD All-American Classic

McAllen Rowe; McAllen Memorial; Mission High; La Joya High; La Joya Juarez-Lincoln; Edinburg Vela; Edinburg High; Edinburg Economedes; Edinburg North; Harlingen South; Sharyland High; Sharyland Pioneer; Mission Veterans; Rio Grande City; Edcouch-Elsa; Donna High

Mike Rodriguez Tournament

PSJA High; PSJA North; Weslaco High; Weslaco East; Harlingen High; San Benito; Brownsville Rivera; Los Fresnos; La Joya Palmview; PSJA Memorial; PSJA Southwest; Grulla

Falfurrias Tournament

Rio Hondo

Friday’s Game

Non-District

Brownsville Lopez at Donna North, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 9

Non-District

Donna North at Brownsville St. Joseph, 1 p.m.

BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Ordinarily, a matchup between two softball stalwarts like Edinburg Vela and Edinburg North will bring the city’s softball community out in full force. A few Edinburg High softball players took in the game on their night off the diamond.

Instead, temperatures in the 40s took some of the heat off, but there was still plenty at stake. Tuesday night was the first of the District 31-6A play in a season that has taken some interesting twists and turns through three weeks.

Weslaco High and Edinburg North always carry heavy expectations, but they sport relatively young rosters in 2019. Already dealing with the losses of the power-hitting Katy Truitt and starting catcher Shayla Garcia to transfer, Edinburg High was dealt another blow when it learned Erika Cortez transferred east to Rio Hondo. Cortez was The Monitor’s All-Area Player of the Year last season.

As for Edinburg Vela, the beat went on. The SaberCats downed the Cougars 9-0 at Edinburg North on Tuesday.

“It was a huge win,” Edinburg Vela coach Jon Maples said. “Our goal coming in was to be 1-0. We bobbled some balls. You can tell we were nervous some in our first district game.”

Edinburg Vela (17-3, 1-0) got its scoring started in the second inning. Karina Guzman led off the frame with a double. Guzman came around to score when No. 9-hitter Kameryn Casares reached on an error to put the SaberCats up 1-0. Casares did more damage to the Cougars when she doubled in Deandra Longoria in the fourth.

Edinburg Vela sophomore pitcher Brianna Salinas got the ball in Tuesday’s pivotal game. Despite the elements, she did not disappoint. Salinas walked three, struck out six and scattered four singles over the seven-inning complete game.

SaberCat senior shortstop Taylor Chavez wasn’t healthy at the start of the season, but she contributed to Tuesday’s win. Chavez drove in a run with a single in the sixth to give the SaberCats a 6-0 advantage.

“I rolled my ankle two days before we played in the tournament in La Joya, so I had to sit out,” Chavez said. “I decided that it was the best thing for our team to come back healthy and help this team win the district. Winning tonight really boosts our confidence as a team.”

“That was awesome to see,” Maples said of Chavez’s run-scoring single. “We’ve been battling injuries since August and we’ve had the ‘next man up’ attitude. We support each other. That’s a great thing to have.”

Edinburg North (13-6, 0-1) formed two serious offensive threats in the third and fifth innings. Both times, Salinas put two runners on ahead of ENHS cleanup hitter Hope Rodriguez, and both times she walked Rodriguez to load the bases to face Patty Davila.

Davila flew out to center to end the third and grounded a pitch back to Salinas to close out the fifth.

“We wanted someone else to beat us instead of Hope (Rodriguez),” Maples said. “We told her (Salinas) to pitch around Hope. It’s nothing against her. That’s us respecting Hope and the type of player she is. We respect her for the four years she’s put in here at (Edinburg) North. If we were going to lose this game, somebody else has to beat us.”

By the time Edinburg Vela established its 7-0 lead after six-and-a-half innings, the handful of Edinburg High players left the stands.

“Out of the nine runs they scored, about three of them were earned runs and the rest were unearned,” Edinburg North coach Richard Tressler said. “It’s not (starting pitcher) Nat(alie Rodriguez)’s fault. She pitched well enough for us. The bottom line is: if you don’t score any runs, you can’t win. Our hitting was atrocious. We couldn’t have played any worse. The way we played tonight is not reflective of the way we’ve been playing.”

Tressler’s starter, Natalie Rodriguez, was part of a scary collision at home plate during the top of the seventh inning. Vela’s Karina Guzman slid in to home while Rodriguez was there covering the plate. Both players were on the grass for a few minutes, but Rodriguez appeared to bear the brunt of it. She had to be carried off the field.

Annabel Segoviano went from the second base to the circle to get the final two outs of the seventh.

“She (Natalie) won’t play against Donna North on Friday. That I can tell you,” Tressler said. “We’ll play it by ear and see what happens.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Thursday’s Game

District 31-5A

Rio Grande City 17, Mission Veterans 7, 5 innings

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

PSJA High at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

La Joya High at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at PSJA North, 7 p.m.

Mission High at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.

Weslaco East at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.

Edinburg North at Donna North, 7 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High at Roma, 7 p.m.

Mission Veterans at PSJA Southwest, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Lopez at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Valley View, 7 p.m.

District 32-4A

Progreso at Zapata, 6 p.m.

Hidalgo at La Feria, 7 p.m.

Port Isabel at Grulla, 7 p.m.

Raymondville at Rio Hondo, 7 p.m.

Non-District

Brownsville Rivera at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Harlingen High, 6:30 p.m.

Los Fresnos at Weslaco High, 7 p.m.

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