KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
RIO HONDO — The Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats took one more step toward a sixth straight district title Saturday.
Rio Hondo shook off a slow start and used a 12-run second inning fueled by the bats of Abbie Torris and Alyssa Silguero to earn a 17-2 win over Grulla in three innings.
The win puts Rio Hondo in firm position in District 32-4A with an 11-0 record and three games remaining in the regular season. Rio Hondo will have a bye Tuesday before they take on Port Isabel on Friday.
“Right now, we feel good on where we are at,” Torris said. “We still have work in front of us, but we are ready as a team for the next challenge.”
With so few games remaining, Rio Hondo needs to win one in order to secure the district title.
“I feel like from the start of the season till now I have improved,” Emma Serna said. “Of course, there is still plenty of work to do and I can still continue to improve, but I feel more confident at the plate and right now we are playing good. We just need to keep working.”
The Lady ’Cats trailed 2-0 heading into the second inning. With one out, Kelsey Pizarro reached first after being hit by a pitch. Silguero drove in Pizarro to open the scoring. With two outs, Serna kept the inning alive on an infield single, scoring Silguero.
Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Torris broke the tie with a bases-clearing triple giving Rio Hondo a 5-2 lead.
“The truth is I didn’t pay attention to the runners on base,” Torris said. “I just knew I needed to go up there and get a hit. I needed to make a play, and I was surprised how hard I hit it and everyone came in and scored, and right now I’m seeing the ball well. I feel good at the plate.”
Rio Hondo sent 15 batters to the plate in the second, and followed it up with a five-run third to help seal the win. At the plate, Savanna Gonzalez went 1-for-2 with one run scored, Torris went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs, and Silguero finished a 2-for-2 day with three RBIs and three runs scored.