BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
Five innings of tight softball between PSJA North and Weslaco High turned into a climax of runs during the sixth inning that ultimately decided Game 1 of the best-of-three area round playoff series Wednesday.
The Raiders came from behind after giving up a lead they held for most of the night to down the visiting Panthers 5-2 and take a 1-0 series lead.
A well-defended pitchers’ duel characterized most of the ballgame.
Weslaco High’s Katia Reyes and PSJA North’s Heaven Lozano were keeping batters guessing, and solid play in the infield kept the action moving.
A close finish, or even extra innings, looked to be a real possibility until a whole lot went down during the sixth.
An inning after Weslaco scored its first run, Lily Torres reached on a play at first that was close enough to warrant three separate umpire meetings and an overturned call. She was finally deemed safe.
It was an important call because Torres later scored on a passed ball one pitch before Lozano ended the inning with a strikeout.
Even though Weslaco High owns the edge with playoff experience, the North group that won the District 30-6A championship is not letting inexperience get in the way.
“They just know it’s just like every other game,” Raiders coach Stephanie Lugo said. “It’s nothing special, the other team puts on their uniforms exactly the way we do. And we’re able to come out, backs against the wall and we respond.”
Jennaka Fabela and Heaven Lozano kicked off the bottom sixth with back-to-back singles and quickly the Raiders had runners on the corners knocking on the door for a tie.
An unconventional double play, shortstop to first base and then to plate where Fabela was jolting home to try to catch the Panthers sleeping, seemed to stop the rally in its tracks.
The Raiders didn’t let those two outs spell the end of a late-game rally. Giselle Mendoza was intentionally walked and Kendra Garcia walked as well to load the bases.
Sophomore Angel Lozano popped a fly ball to right field, but the wind stopped the ball from carrying deep. That effect on the softball gave right fielder Sada troubles as the hit dropped just short of her glove.
Two Raiders were already safe at home and another rounded third to give PSJA North a 4-2 lead. One of those base runners was Angel’s older sister Heaven, who said she knew her sister would come through.
“I was excited because I was on base and I knew our sister was going to come through with a clutch hit,” Heaven Lozano said.
Angel Lozano also scored during the sixth on an errant pickoff throw to third base.
In the early frames, both squads had the bases loaded in the second inning but the Raiders scored first, on a Katelyn Luera single, to bring the PSJA North crowd to its feet.
Luera, another freshman, also made a run-saving diving catch on second base in the third.
“My team told me to make it realistic and dive for everything you can get,” Luera said. “So I knew I was able to get that ball. I dove for it to make my team proud and help my team.”
Weslaco answered later with a hustle-induced infield single by Ashley Sada during the fifth.
PSJA North earned its first win over Weslaco this season after losing twice to the Panthers in non-district. Luera said her team is showing its progress at the right time
“We actually played them twice and they beat us twice so I’m pretty sure they came in with the confidence that they were going to beat us,” Luera said. “We have our high horse; we knew we could beat them. We’ve grown since the beginning of the season.”
Game 2 will be played at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Weslaco High.