Cowgirls rout Natalia, win nine in a row

By Editor | April 6, 2023

HIGH SCHOOLSOFTBALL

PEARSALL, COTULLA EARN DISTRICT WINS, SIT ASTOP STANDINGINGS IN SOFTBALL ACTION

Cotulla’s Allyse Leija fires a pitch during the Cowgirls’ win over Natalia last week

Cotulla countered a late rally from Natalia and blanked Crystal City to remain unbeaten in District 28-3A softball action last week as the team moved atop the standings at 4-0.
The Cowgirls took on their toughest challenge in league play last Tuesday in then-unbeaten Natalia and walked away with a 10-4 victory after they stymied the Lady Mustangs’ sixth innin rally. The team then closed out the week with an 11-0 shutout of Crystal City on Friday, March 31.
Leading 5-0, Cotulla saw Natalia plate four runs at the top of the sixth to cut the margin to 5-4. A five-run bottom of the sixth by the Cowgirls, however, ended the threat as the team extended the lead to 10-4.
“As a team we set goals at the beginning of the season, and winning a district championship was at the top of the list,” CHS Head Coach George Martinez said. “The Cowgirls are playing with great confidence both individually and as a team. They believe in one another and they trust each other completely.
“The girls know what’s at stake, and they have the experience on how to accomplish that goal. We are going to continue to work hard at practice to polish what we are doing well and work on those things that we need to improve upon. Even though we understand what our goals are, the team is taking one game at a time.”
Cotulla paired its strong defense with some offensive firepower in its last two outings. The defense has only allowed 12 runs in its last nine games while the offense has picked up the pace, scoring ten or more runs in six of its last nine contests.
“Last week against Natalia and Crystal City, not only did we play great defense but our offense did some major damage,” Coach Martinez said. “The offense had 29 combined hits in those two games.
“Senior Allyse Leija has been our catalyst, she recorded 26 strikeouts in two games last week and also added five hits, one of which was a shot over the right field fence, she also had two inside-the-park homeruns.”
Leija has been on a tear on the mound, striking out 46 batters in the team’s last four wins.
“We are playing very disciplined softball right now and it’s my job, and that of my other coaches, to make sure that our team continues to do so as we reach the halfway point in district.”
In the win over the Lady Javelinas, Cotulla led 1-0 in the second then plated five runs in the third, added two in the fourth and three more in the fifth to win via the ten-run rule.
The Cowgirls improved to 18-3 overall and 4-0 in district. Natalia is second at 3-1 while Lytle and Hondo are tied for third at 2-2 apiece. Dilley is fifth at 1-3 and Crystal City is winless at 0-4. Cotulla closed out the first round of league play Tuesday evening against Dilley and will then open the second round on Friday at Hondo.

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