BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Weslaco High senior pitcher Rico Avila toed up the rubber for the first time on Friday with a four-run lead already on the board.
That was all the support Avila needed in a 5-inning complete game shutout, as the Weslaco High Panthers rolled past the Weslaco East Wildcats 16-0 in District 32-6A action.
“Right off the bat, I knew it was going to be a good little rivalry game,” Avila said. “As soon as I started warming up, I was ready. I knew what they had on the other side, and I’m thankful for my teammates helping me out.”
After Weslaco High beat East 6-1 on Tuesday, Friday’s win gave the Panthers the series sweep.
“Leading off the district season with a sweep is a good feeling,” Weslaco High coach Eddie Serna said. “The kids were feeling it, and we just hung in there and got it done.”
Avila was strong from the start on Friday, according to his catcher, senior Luis Longoria.
“I’ve been playing with Rico a long time, and he looked pretty good today,” Longoria said. “I know he is always going to throw well. He is a good pitcher.”
The two started playing together when they were 7, and they have been a battery ever since.
“I know he has my back,” Avila said of his backstop. “We are always on the same page. We have little gear shifts that always keep me rolling.”
Longoria knows just what to say to his pitchers to get them out of a jam or help them regain focus. He knows when to be serious and when to bring a little levity.
“Some get a little frustrated, but I know it is good for them to have someone to back them up,” he said. “I just go out there and try to calm them down or keep them ready for the next batter.”
Longoria didn’t get to gun out any runners on Friday, but his arm has been true all year, and the number of runners willing to take that risk against him continues to shrink.
“They didn’t run on him tonight, because he’s thrown everybody out,” Serna said. “He’s been very reliable back there.”
Unable to get a glove on a low pitch to his right side, Longoria stuck out a leg and blocked it with his pad, slowing the ball and giving him a better angle on a would-be throw. The throw wasn’t necessary on Friday, but Longoria still chased the ball with the same intensity.
“I’ve been catching a long time, and I hate to give runners free bases,” Longoria said. “I want to help my pitchers out there, because I know they are working hard. My mindset is I will do anything for them. So my reaction is get something on the ball — any body part I can.”
Longoria credits much of his quickness to the work he does with assistant coach Homer Llanas.
Avila pitched all five innings, allowing only three hits and three walks. He had only one strikeout, but he didn’t need any more on Friday. Every ball put in play was gobbled up by the Panthers’ defense.
“That’s a typical start for him,” Serna said. “He pounds the strike zone and controls the tempo.”
Avila worked inside early against the East hitters, which allowed him to vary his location later in the game and force swings and misses.
Just about everyone in the lineup contributed on offense. The Panthers batted around in the first and gave Avila a 4-0 lead. The Panthers added one each in the second and third, before exploding for eight more runs in the fourth to put the game out of reach.
“It’s amazing when we get rolling like that,” junior shortstop Axel Camanera said. “Hitting is the best part of baseball. There is nothing more fun than an inning like that.”
Camanera was a menace on the basepaths in the second. He reached on a single and then stole second and third before scoring on a sac fly from Longoria.
“Its so much fun,” Camanera said. “I love running the bases and reading the pitcher.”
District 32-6A implemented a schedule that gives every team a two-game series every week. Friday wrapped up the first series for Weslaco.
“We learned a lot from this first series,” Avila said. “We just need to focus on our bats. We are trying to be consistent, because if we have that, our defense is solid, so we will be good. Just little-by-little, hit-by-hit, we find a way to pull through.”