REPEAT PERFORMANCE: LADY MAVS SNARE BI-DISTRICT TITLE

By Manuel Azocar III - Sports Writer/Managing Editor | May 4, 2023

BI-DISTRICT SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS

LADY MAVS SWEEP BEST-OF-THREE SERIES TO WIN SECOND STRAIGHT BI-DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP

A one-day weather delay did little to deter Pearsall from capturing its second straight bi-district softball championship as the team throttled Rockport-Fulton 17-6 in five innings on Saturday to sweep the best-of-three series 2-0.
The series kicked off on Thursday, April 27 in Beeville with a tight contest as the Lady Mavs needed extra innings to secure an 8-7 win in the opener.
Game two was slated for Friday in Kenedy but a fast-moving cold front brought severe weather through the South Texas area and showers and lightning called a halt to the contest after a more than two hour delay.
Under beautiful skies Saturday afternoon, Pearsall came out swinging, literally, and took the contest to the Lady Pirates from the outset and rolled to the five-inning, run-rule victory.
“The team performed really well,” PHS Head Coach Melissa Sanchez said. “The defense kept the game close on Thursday, but we had a steal at home for the win in the eighth inning. The weather didn’t work out on Friday for us, but we came out strong on Saturday.
“We had some big hits that cleared the bases, and the defense really stood their ground. The team has really been working hard, and their confidence shines as a result of their dedication. We are looking forward to seeing the community rally behind us this week in Freer as we face Zapata.”
After a quick, scoreless first, Pearsall plated six runs in an explosive top of the second. Rockport-Fulton rallied at the bottom of the stanza with three runs as the Lady Mavs took a 6-3 lead.
Sophie Garza singled and scored on Deranda Talamantes’ RBI double. Alytris Rodriguez bunted to score Deranda and Maddie Bradley doubled to put runners on second and third.
Jesslyn Gutierrez singled to load the bases and Ebony Garza came in clutch with an inside-the-park grand slam.
Pearsall extended the lead in the third as Sophie Garza and Talamantes drew walks. Rodriguez singled and a throwing error allowed Garza to score. Bradley would later hammer a double in the inning to score two more runs as the Lady Mavs lead surged to 9-0.
The scoring onslaught continued in the fourth as Ebony Garza walked and Kristen Morales belted an RBI triple. Bradley hit a two out RBI single and Carissa Elizondo added an RBI single. Pearsall plated four runs in the inning as the lead went to 13-3.
Rockport-Fulton rallied in the fourth with three runs but could do little more than that as they cut into the margin and made it 13-6.
Pearsall closed it out in the fifth with an RBI triple from Ebony Garza, who later scored herself on a passed ball. Sophie Garza then punctuated the team’s offensive performance with a two-run homerun over the left field fence.
With three outs in the bottom of the inning, Pearsall took the win via the ten-run rule in the fifth.
The Lady Mavs will now take on Zapata in an area round playoff series in Freer this week. Game one is Thurday, May 4 at 7 p.m. while game two is set for Friday, May 5, also at 7 p.m. A third game, if needed, would be on Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m. All three games will be played in Freer. Zapata is the District 32-4A champion and defeated Robstown in their bi-district series 2-0, winning by scores of 5-0 and 3-0.