BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
The Roma Gladiators were oh-so-close to making history in 2017. Now, they’re even closer.
Roma finished 9-7 in District 31-5A last season, falling a game shy of Mission Veterans for the district’s fourth and final playoff spot.
Entering this season’s final week, the Gladiators needed a lot of dominoes to fall in their favor to advance to the postseason. They got the first to tip over on Tuesday night.
Roma hosted Laredo Cigarroa, which held a game and a half lead on Roma in the standings before the Gladiators received a memorable pitching performance from senior Rosie Hinojosa.
Hinojosa’s mastery of the Toros continued with a five-inning no hitter that put the stamp on an 11-0 Gladiators win Tuesday.
“(Hinojosa) had come in our first ball game we had against Cigarroa (on March 14) and shut them down with about eight or nine strikeouts,” Roma coach Joe Henry Doria said. “So I decided to give her the start the second time.”
Roma’s win improves the team to 9-6 in 31-5A, tied with Cigarroa in the loss column. The Toros finished the district season 10-6. But a lot of work remains for the Gladiators to punch their first playoff ticket in program history.
Roma still needs to go on the road and beat Sharyland Pioneer on Friday. That win would force a one-game, winner-take-all grudge match for fourth place between the Gladiators and the Toros. Roma doubled up Pioneer 12-6 in their first meeting on March 20.
“After the Pioneer game, we started hitting the ball like crazy,” Doria said. “We’ve been playing solid softball since then. We feel pretty confident about where we are right now.”
If the Gladiators were to win the fourth-place game, they would meet District 32-5A champion Brownsville Veterans in the bi-district round.