By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
EDCOUCH-ELSA — The Edcouch-Elsa Lady Yellowjackets came from behind after going down early in the first inning to beat the Brownsville Lopez Lady Lobos 8-3.
Edcouch-Elsa took the lead during the bottom of the fourth inning with RBIs from Lexi Ramirez, Lily Gonzalez and Genesis English. The Lady ’Jackets tacked on another run after a pitch went behind the catcher.
E-E went into the fifth inning up 6-3.
The win was pivotal in the race for the playoff in District 32-5A. With the victory, the Lady ’Jackets could jump past the Lady Lobos for the final playoff spot when E-E finishes a rain-delayed game Saturday at Brownsville Pace. Edcouch-Elsa is up 5-0 in that game.
“This was a very important win,” Lady ’Jackets coach Lubin Garcia said. “We had to really scratch and come back. It was a big win because it puts us back into playoff contention. We had to beat Lopez.”
Lopez pitcher Jenny Shank put the Lady Lobos up during the top half of the first inning with a bomb to center field. The three-run home run provided the initial belief, but Lady ’Jackets pitcher Mickie Garcia settled down.
“(Mickie Garcia) pitched really well today,” Lubin Garcia said. “She was a little nervous at first, because we have been talking about this game for a couple of weeks. She knew it was a big game, and I am glad she got the win.”
Mickie Garcia cut into the lead with a line drive shot to score a run during the bottom of the first, but the Lady ’Jackets could have had more as they threatened with the bases loaded. Lady Lobos catcher Amanda Garcia and right fielder Monica Mora came up with clutch outs to help Lopez out of the inning.
The Lady ’Jackets’ Ali Loredo hit into a fielder’s choice to bring in a run after confusion in the Lopez infield, cutting the lead to 3-2 after two innings.
At times, Shank struggled to get that final strike after being up on batters. Shank sat down the Lady ’Jackets in the bottom of third as she battled a sore back, stranding runners in scoring position.
Loredo drove in another run during the bottom of the fifth inning with a drive between the shortstop and the third baseman on the first pitch she saw. Loredo later scored to make it 8-3 going into the sixth inning.
Lopez threatened in the top of the seventh, but a two-out rally with the bases loaded did not provide a run.
“Today, Edcouch-Elsa wanted it more than we did,” Lopez coach Jesse Martinez said. “We did not hit the ball very well, my pitcher did the best she could, and you cannot win a game if you do not hit the ball. We are going to come back next week and see if we can regroup and win some games. That is all we can do.”