MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
CORPUS CHRISTI — Weslaco High coach Mario Rodriguez keeps a handwritten note with him each game that reads “60 feet at a time, 1 run at a time.”
On occasion, Rodriguez will dig deep into his pocket to retrieve it, reminding himself, and by virtue his players, to stay within the moment. Weeks ago, the Lady Panthers exceeded expectations by advancing past the area round of the playoffs for the first time in program history.
Now, they find themselves in rare company, qualifying for the UIL state tournament after beating New Braunfels Canyon 7-1 in Game 2 of their Region IV-6A final Saturday at Cabaniss Field.
Weslaco (33-7) becomes only the second Valley program to reach state after San Benito broke ground in 2013 and 2015.
The Lady Panthers scored three times off walks, and Charlene De Anda and Audrey Escamilla came through with run-scoring hits as they punched their tickets to the state tournament June 3-4 in Austin.
“It’s unreal,” Escamilla said. “No one thought we would get this far, and now we’re here.”
Battling injuries throughout district, Weslaco showed few signs of such a run. The team finished third in the District 31-6A standings, with pitcher Taylor Tafolla (turf toe) and Escamilla (lower back), among others, battling injuries.
And in a rematch of last year’s bi-district series, the Lady Panthers needed to rally from a one-game deficit to beat Brownsville Veterans Memorial. Since that hiccup, however, Weslaco has won 11 of 12 postseason games, including Saturday’s to sweep the series.
The Lady Panthers now await the UIL’s announcement to learn their opponents in the state semifinals, scheduled for either 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. on June 3.
The final is set for 4 p.m. June 4. All games will be played at Red & Charline McCombs Field at the University of Texas at Austin.
“We know nothing’s promised,” Rodriguez said, digging the note out of his pocket. “So we just talk about the here and the now, and try to stay in the moment.”
A day after holding New Braunfels Canyon — the No. 4-ranked team in Class 6A in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Softball Poll — to six hits, Weslaco surrendered only four to close out the series.
The seventh-ranked Lady Panthers gave up just one run (unearned) after an outfield error paved the way for Canyon to score from second in the bottom of the third inning.
It came after Weslaco High cashed in on three unearned runs (via walks) — each coming in the first three innings.
In the first two instances, Canyon pitcher Brooke Vestal walked in a runner and left the bases loaded with two outs before striking out the ensuing batter. In the third inning, however, Escamilla singled to centerfield, driving in two runs as Weslaco took a 5-0 lead.
Canyon (27-11) responded by opening the bottom half of that frame with a hit, and Weslaco went on to commit back-to-back fielding errors, allowing Savana Luna to score from second and trim the deficit 5-1.
Weslaco nearly committed a third error that inning when Tafolla overthrew to third base, forcing Jenny Guillen to step off third base. But the junior resumed her in position in time to tag out the base runner, and Weslaco retired the next batter.
De Anda finished 4-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and a run batted in. Escamilla, the leadoff hitter, scored three runs after getting on base four times (twice after being hit by pitches).
With sweeps over Eagle Pass (area round), Edinburg High (regional quarterfinals) and Canyon, Weslaco is one of four 6A teams in the state still alive in the playoffs.