BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
LAREDO — Weslaco High scored a run in the top of the first inning but could never cross the plate again as New Braunfels Canyon picked up a 4-1 win in Game 2 of a UIL Class 6A Region IV semifinal series Saturday afternoon in Laredo. The Canyon victory completes a 2-0 series sweep of Weslaco High (29-5).
“This hurts a little, but I’m most proud of the fight they brought to the game,” Weslaco coach Mario Rodriguez said. “We were the underdogs from the get-go, but you wouldn’t have known the way they played on the field.”
New Braunfels Canyon sophomore pitcher Aliyah Pritchett scuffled in the first inning. Weslaco High junior center fielder Charlene DeAnda walked with one out and stole second base. With two away, sophomore catcher Audrey Escamilla dribbled a base hit up the middle, scoring DeAnda to give the Lady Panthers an early 1-0 lead.
“We knew they were going to come out and give us everything they had early,” New Braunfels Canyon coach Kevin Randle said. “Our big thing was to weather that early storm, settle in and play our game. It took us a while to get into it the later the game went on.”
After the first, Pritchett only allowed three Weslaco High base runners for the rest of the game, striking out six hitters over the remaining six innings.
“She’s a tough kid. She’s a competitor,” Randle said. “That’s the best thing I could say about her. It was more a challenge to her more than anything to give the run up and pitch well the rest of the way. But all credit in the world to them (Weslaco High). They’re a tough team. They scrapped in every out and every pitch. Today, we were a little better. If we played tomorrow, it might have gone the other way.”
New Braunfels Canyon (31-6) got its scoring started in the third against Weslaco High senior pitcher Taylor Tafolla. Senior second baseman Yasmin Perez was Canyon’s first base runner of the afternoon, leading off the bottom half of the inning with a walk. Following a single by sophomore Sydney Belvin and a base hit by junior Rylee Hopper, the bases were loaded with two outs in the frame. With Canyon junior first baseman Brooke Vestal at the plate, Tafolla fired in a wild pitch that went to the backstop, scoring Perez from third to tie the game at 1.
Mistakes plagued Weslaco High again in the fifth, when two errors and a walk loaded the bases with two outs. Pritchett stepped into the batter’s box and lined a double to center, scoring two runs to give Canyon a two-run lead at 3-1. The Lady Cougarettes added a run on an RBI double in the sixth inning.
“The mistakes happened at the most unfortunate time,” Rodriguez said. “But it’s a learning experience for the girls coming back. I thank the seniors for their dedication and effort to the program. Four years ago, Weslaco wasn’t talked about being at this level, and they came in and changed the culture. They put us on the map.”
Tafolla is one of the Weslaco High girls who will not return in 2018. She pitched a better Game 2 than Game 1, allowing one hit and one run while also striking out five Canyon hitters in three innings on Saturday.
“I love the game so much,” Tafolla said. “I’ve played through injuries and helped my team. That’s all I wanted to do.”
Tafolla closes her out career at Weslaco High as a part of the most successful stretch in program history. In addition to her contributions for this season’s Sweet 16 club, Tafolla was the backbone of the pitching staff on the team’s unlikely run to the state semifinals in 2016.
“I wanted to leave a mark when I left,” Tafolla said. “I’m so glad to be a part of history and make the city of Weslaco proud.”
Tafolla taking the circle on Saturday afternoon also signaled the end of her time with batterymate Audrey Escamilla.
“I’m going to miss the chemistry,” Tafolla said. “I’ve always been with my cousin Audrey (Escamilla) since we were 10. She was my catcher for all these years. I’ll miss being with all the girls. But even with the seniors leaving, the girls have that fight in them. We’ve had it since we were small.”
Rodriguez must now draw from the lessons of this series loss and look forward to the 2018 season.
“The one thing we’ll learn from this is that nothing is given,” Rodriguez said. “Anyone could assume because we made the final four last year, that it was going to be the same thing this year. The run we were on last year was a magical one. This year puts last year in perspective. It’s very difficult to get back there.”