Lyford blanks Mathis to take series lead

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

CORPUS CHRISTI—The Lyford Lady Bulldogs continue to play well in the playoffs.

Jerrica Rojas collected four hits and Mikeala Lopez drove in four runs as Lyford cruised to a 16-0 win in five innings over Mathis in Game 1 of their best-of-three area playoff series Wednesday night at Cabaniss Field.

Lyford now holds the series lead 1-0 and will have an off day Thursday before returning back to Cabaniss Friday at 7 p.m. with an opportunity to sweep the series.

If needed, Game 3 will be played Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

“Our girls came out strong and performed to the best of their ability,” said Lyford coach Joey Rios. “That is all I can ask for.”

Lyford wasted no time on offense. The Lady Bulldogs scored six runs in the first inning followed by a three-run second, four-run third and then put a bow on the game with one run in the fifth.

Hailey Pena and Lopez each collected three hits.

In the circle, Rojas threw five shutout innings, yielding two hits and struck out nine in Wednesdays night’s win.

“The bats were hot, our defense made plays and Jerrica stayed focused in the circle,” Rios said. “I’m extremely proud of tonight’s performance, but it is far from over.”