BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
ALAMO — It was billed as a matchup between two favorites to win District 31-5A. Sharyland Pioneer and PSJA Memorial entered the week at 4-0 and in a tie for the top spot.
While rain or the threat of rain postponed several district games Tuesday, the real heavy rain took place on the diamond in Alamo.
PSJA Memorial jumped on Sharyland Pioneer in the first inning and did not relent. The Wolverines batted around twice in the bottom half of the frame before the Diamondbacks ended the inning.
At that point, PSJA Memorial’s first 16 batters sent to the plate all reached base and came around to score in the first. The Wolverines seized control of the district lead in a three-inning 17-2 win Tuesday night.
“I’ve never seen anything like this (first inning),” PSJA Memorial interim softball coach Raquel Barbosa said. “They knew that were playing great competition in (Sharyland) Pioneer. They were eager to play and eager to get their bats started. We’re just blessed with great talent.”
Wolverines center fielder Kristy Alanis started the first inning with a walk off Diamondback left-handed freshman Ilyssa Casanova. PSJA Memorial loaded the bases with nobody out before cleanup hitter Chelsea Salinas cleared the bases with a three-run triple.
The Wolverines (5-0 in district) continued to wreak havoc on Casanova, who exited the inning without recording an out. She was charged with seven runs, six of which were earned, on five hits.
Senior pitcher Madison Sparks, who was Pioneer’s starter four days earlier against Mission Veterans, stepped in for Casanova but had little fortune herself. PSJA Memorial loaded the bases again in Alanis’ second at-bat of the inning. Alanis followed Salinas’ lead with a three-run triple of her own to put the Wolverines up 9-0.
Later in the first, second baseman Elyssa Elizondo threw more gas on the fire with a two-run triple. The three-bagger bumped the Wolverine lead to 15-0.
“Coming from such a tough district (31-6A) to this one, we didn’t know what to expect,” Elizondo said. “We expected a challenge, but we didn’t know who to expect it from. We knew Pioneer would be one of our toughest opponents, so we decided to come out hyped. That helped us score those 16 runs in the first inning.”
The Diamondbacks (13-8, 4-1) had their weakest performance of the district season. They didn’t get their first hit of the game until Andrea Ortiz singled with one out in the third inning. Misjudged fly balls and ground balls extended the carousel of Wolverines entering the batter’s box in the first.
“We didn’t come out to play today.” Sharyland Pioneer coach Orlando Garcia said. “It started off bad for us, especially in the circle. They (PSJA Memorial) were hitting the ball the way they had to hit the ball and we’ve got to be prepared to play teams that way. We’ll see what kind of character our girls bring to the next game. Hopefully, we can bounce back from something like this.”
PSJA Memorial will be on the road Friday at Mission Veterans. As hyped as the Wolverines were Tuesday, it will be Barbosa’s responsibility to bring the same energy out of her players.
“These kids need to keep working hard,” Barbosa said. “I tell them to always be focused, no matter who the opponent it is. We can’t let up because it’s our first time in this district and I need to know what the other teams have, as well. We’ll need to start off strong again.”