By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
With a win tonight, McAllen High can keep alive its hopes of competing for the District 30-6A title, one year after a collection of freshmen and sophomores finished with the fourth seed.
The Lady Bulldogs are currently tied for second, and could take a significant leap forward by sweeping the season series against McAllen Memorial at 7 tonight.
McHi coach Ruth Garcia attributes the turnaround to the team’s growing confidence and maturation, helping them pull out upset victories over McAllen Memorial in the first round and McAllen Rowe on Friday.
“Us being the underdogs, as young as we are, I know we’re making the statements as we go along,” Garcia said. “But it’s like I tell the girls, we’ll do our talking on the field.”
McHi (15-9, 7-3), on the verge of its eight consecutive playoff appearance, has been paced by its defense, led by pitcher Alexis Gutierrez and catcher Brittany Castillo. Garcia lauded Gutierrez’s defensive abilities outside the circle, saying the junior is well-versed making plays by diving at players or running and tagging them.
Castillo, a sophomore, also brings what Garcia described “a cannon of an arm.”
“That’s one of the things that caught my attention when she came on board,” Garcia said. “She’s composed. She’s learned how to create situations and not just wait until they unfold. She just has a magnificent feel of what certain players can do, what they’re going to chase, what their weak spots are. She reads it very well.”
Where last year the young Lady Bulldogs endured a mixture of slim losses and blowout defeats, the team is now generating more favorable results.
“A lot of it is communication and understanding the game,” Garcia said. “They’re finishing innings, finishing plays. Not stopping until an official calls time. There’s key plays at home where teams had the bases loaded and no outs, and yet we’ve gotten out of those innings safely.
“It’s been amazing.”
SEALING THE DEAL
After beating Mission Veterans Memorial 15-0 on Tuesday, Sharyland Pioneer assured itself the No. 1 seed in District 31-5A.
What the Lady Diamondbacks (19-8, 10-0) are shooting for now, in their second year as a program, is sole possession of the 31-5A title.
“It’d be huge,” Pioneer coach Orlando Garcia said. “They have an opportunity to do something on the softball end that hasn’t been done at this school and leave a lasting impression for teams to come.”
By sweeping the season series against Edinburg Vela, the No. 2 team in district, the Lady Diamondbacks dethroned the reigning district champions. Vela can no do better than tie Pioneer, which holds the tiebreaker, given their head-to-head sweep.
Pioneer can close out the perfect record with wins today against Sharyland High and Tuesday against Roma.
“Last year, our team goal was just to jell and get in the playoffs. This year, it’s changed,” Garcia said. “They meshed a little bit, and now the goal is to win district and get to the third round, minimum.
“Tuesday’s win got us a little closer, but I don’t think the girls feel a lot of pressure. They’re pretty comfortable. And at this stage of the season, it’s all about maintenance and just trying to fix the little things.”