By MARK MOLINA, STAFF WRITER
Despite enduring a one-week layoff, the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers showed no signs of rust.
In fact, they made it an early night.
Behind powerful bats and shutdown pitching, the Lady Chargers cruised past the Pace Lady Vikings 22-0 on Tuesday night at Pace High School, improving to 6-0 in District 32-5A play.
With his team firing on all cylinders, Lady Chargers head coach Ray Cardenas credited the week off for giving them time to not only rest, but realize what is on the line as the season progresses.
“The break gives the girls a lot of time to focus and think about everything that is at stake,” Cardenas said. “We talked about district championships and making a long run in the playoffs. Everything is in front of us and we have to continue to work hard.
“The break rested the bodies and mind and just allowed us to refocus and see that we’re up for the challenge.”
The Lady Chargers hit early and hit often, racking up 15 hits on the night, while the pitching duo of junior Cassie Valdez and sophomore Mia Anzaldua held the Lady Vikings to just one hit and recorded nine strikeouts.
Pace finished the game with six errors on routine plays in the infield and outfield.
“We have to make the plays when we have the opportunities and catch those fly balls — we can’t drop fly balls,” Pace head coach Jesus Jaramillo said. “We just have to keep working hard. I know (Brownsville Veterans) is the No. 1 team in our district and I give them all the credit because they’ve earned it and worked hard.”
“But I really appreciate the support from athletic coordinator Daniel Prado and the Pace administration as we go through the growing pains with these young girls.”
In the first inning, the Lady Chargers came out swinging as they roughed up Pace starting pitcher Savannah Borland. Brownsville Veterans put up five quick runs on four hits before Borland and the Pace defense picked up two out and allowed a sixth run to score on a passed ball. Two batters later, now in an 8-0 hole with a runner on and two outs, Valdez stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning and smacked a home run into deep center field to make it 10.
In the inning Borland faced 15 batters, giving up 10 nine earned runs and six hits. She finished the inning, but would not return to the circle as she gave way to Brianna Nunez the rest of the way.
With one on and no outs in the top of the third in an 11-0 game, Lady Charger Kianna Silva went yard on a two-run shot to deep center field to make it 13-0. Brownsville Veterans recorded hits on four of the next six at-bats as the lead swelled to 17. The Lady Chargers would pick up 12 runs on eight hits in the inning.
Valdez took the circle in the bottom third for Brownsville Veterans and finished off Pace with three straight strikeouts. Anzaldua pitched two innings with six strikeouts and allowed just one hit, which came in the bottom first to Pace’s Geaceli Orive.
At the plate, Anzaldua was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, while Silva was 3 for 4 with four driven in and a homerun. Valdez also had a nice night at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a walk and recording four RBIs and a home run.