By MARK MOLINA | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
CORPUS CHRISTI — Through 6 2/3 innings, Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Cassie Valdez and Corpus Christi Carroll’s Vanessa Quiroga were locked in a scoreless pitchers duel, so it was only fitting that their battle would be decided when they came face-to-face.
With one on and two out, Quiroga smacked an RBI double to deep center field to give the Lady Tigers a 1-0 walk-off win over the Lady Chargers in Game 2 and secure a sweep of their best-of-three regional quarterfinal series Saturday afternoon at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.
Valdez said the game could have gone either way at that point, but Quiroga just happened to be the one to make the timely hit.
“It was intense and (Quiroga) is a great pitcher,” Valdez said. “We both just wanted it, but I guess it was just whoever got the hit … we both were working hard.”
For the freshman Quiroga, the walk-off shot was just the cherry on top of a big day as she pitched her second shutout in as many days, striking out six and while allowing just four hits and a walk.
“It was down to the last strike, my heart was pounding and I was so nervous,” she said. “The pitch came inside and it was the perfect pitch for me. I just ripped and it was the greatest feeling ever, I was overwhelmed and I just cried.”
“We just kept playing, doing what we’ve been doing all this time. We were so ready and so hyped before this game.”
Valdez put up a huge day in the circle as she went the distance, gave up three hits, pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and a walk.
After pitching her final game as a Lady Charger, Valdez gave credit to fellow senior and catcher Harley Morales.
“I was just confident, but Harley kept me going,” Valdez said. “She was making sure I was hitting my spots and if not, she’s talking to me and keeping me calm, so shout out to her.”
Carroll (26-12-1) moves on to the regional semifinals to face Richmond Foster, while Brownsville Veterans (26-12) bow out of the postseason in the third round for the second straight season.
Much like Game 1, the Lady Chargers couldn’t figure out Quiroga or drive in runs as they left four runners stranded.
“In the game of softball, it’s not about how fast you throw, but how well the ball moves on you,” Brownsville Veterans head coach Rayner Cardenas said. “That goes a long way with Quiroga. She didn’t throw especially hard, but she’s got great movement. Our girls threw really hard and have great movement, so it was a great pitching matchup. Hits are hard to come by, great pitching limits offense and it came down to that one timely hit again.
“I love the way our girls came out and battled. The mental toughness they showed this years versus years before is part of the growth of the program.”
In the top of the second, Morales led off with a double to deep center field, but Quiroga would strikeout three straight batters to end the inning.
With two out and nobody on in the top of the third, the Lady Chargers got back-to-back hits from Valdez and Gio Leal, but a pop up in the infield would end the inning soon after.
In the top of the fifth, Brownsville Veterans’ Valeria Ruiz got to third on an error, but she would be picked off on a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
The Lady Chargers got on base once more on a single from Liz Abete with two outs, but once again could not take advantage.
In the bottom of the seventh, Valdez walked Hailey Avalos, who would turn out to be the winning run as Quiroga ended the game on the next at-bat.
Despite the loss, Cardenas said his team executed well and feels his team should be heading into the offseason on a high note.
“We have a lot of girls returning,” he said. “We are losing four, but a majority of our starters on the infield are returning. We have a bright future ahead of us. As much as it hurts to be on the wrong side of the scoreboard on this one, there’s a lot to look forward to as well.
“To finish the season on a loss is not what we want, but to finish the season off playing well sets the tone for us in the offseason.”