TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
WESLACO — Corpus Christi Carroll spotted Weslaco a six-run lead then exploded for a seven-run sixth inning to edge the Weslaco Lady Panthers 9-7 in Game 1 of their best-of-three Class 6A regional semifinal on Friday.
The Lady Tigers batted around the order and got seven hits, including a Karia Sarrato a home run over the left-center field fence, to go from down four runs to 9-6 by the time the inning was over.
Carroll hadn’t done much previously, but that inning doomed Weslaco. The Lady Panthers could not recover in this fourth-round playoff game played in front of a standing room only crowd of about 600.
“We were in there. All I ever ask the kids is to give themselves a chance, and I think today they gave themselves a chance but just fell a little bit short,” Weslaco coach Mario Rodriguez said. “I am very proud of their effort. It’s not over. We’ve been here before.”
The series turns to Game 2 today at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss sports complex. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. Weather again may play a factor as the Coastal Bend has seen its share of flooding the past several days.
The Friday night weather did not impact the game, and the home team got off to red-hot start. While pitcher Taylor Tafolla was mowing down Carroll batters, giving up just three hits in the first five innings, Weslaco’s lineup got base hits and home runs to sprint out to a 6-0 lead.
Audrey Escamilla started the hit parade with a powerful third-inning, two-run home run over the left field fence that put the Lady Panthers up 2-0. In the next inning, it was third baseman Jenny Guillen’s turn. She took a 2-1 offering out of the park, driving in two more runs and giving Weslaco a 4-0 cushion.
And the Lady Panthers were not through. Maddie Ybarra, Alyssa Escamilla and Charlene De Anda wrapped three more consecutive hits, and Weslaco was able to score two additional runs to make the score 6-0 before Carroll could record three outs.
“I am very proud of our performance,” said Escamilla, the sophomore shortstop who went 2-for-4 and scored twice. “We came out and played our best. There’s nothing we could have done better.”
Indeed, the Lady Panthers played a clean game. No errors. Ten hits. Seven runs. Two homers. Crisp defense. It just came down to the sixth inning. The Lady Tigers got on a roll, notching five hits and four runs before Weslaco could get one out.
Still, for the Lady Panthers it’s just one loss. They have an opportunity to even the series at one with a win in game two. Carroll coach Rosa Caballero said the Lady Tigers cannot think that they’ve won the series.
“I tell my team that this was a great game, a great win, but forget about it. It’s in the past, it’s over,” said Caballero. “Weslaco is going to come out and come out swinging hard. We just have to prepare. We have to get one more, and I just know they are going to be tough team to beat tomorrow.”