By BRIAN ARGABRIGHT
The 830 Times
Del Rio Little League’s 8-10-year-old all-star softball team is in the finals of its district tournament after a strong showing over the past few days.
The District 35 Little League tournaments are taking place at the Val Verde County Sports Complex off Frontera Road this week. Del Rio’s 8-10 softball team will get its first crack at a district title Wednesday at 7 p.m. in its championship game. A win by Del Rio means they will claim the district crown and avoid the “if necessary” game.
The 8-10-year-old softball tournament kicked off Friday at Highlander Field at the complex as Del Rio took on La Pryor. Del Rio won the game, 22-2, in three innings via the run rule.
All but one member of Del Rio’s roster scored at last once in the game.
Gianna French scored once, Abrianna Acosta, Elia Gonzales, Karly Mata, Arianna Jasso, Sophia Aranda, Carina Jimenez, Adela Patiño and Jackie Paniagua each scored twice while Delsy Gutierrez scored three times.
Gutierrez drove in three runs including a two-run inside the park home run. French drove in a pair of runs as well.
In Friday’s late game, Eagle Pass sent Kinney County to the elimination bracket by handing them a 25-10 loss in three innings via the run rule.
Sunday, Del Rio and Eagle Pass met to see which team would advance to the championship game and which team would have to fight out of the elimination bracket.
Eagle Pass took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning but Del Rio answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run home run by Gutierrez.
Eagle Pass added another run to its tally in the second, and then tacked on four more runs in the third to build an 8-2 lead.
Del Rio was able to cut into the lead with a four-run fourth that included an RBI single by Mata and Gonzales, Gutierrez, Mata and Jasso all scoring in the inning.
Eagle Pass pushed its lead to 9-6 with a run in the fifth.
In the sixth, Del Rio finally caught up to Eagle Pass. Acosta, Gutierrez and Mata all reached base and scored to help tie the game at 9-9.
Eagle Pass reclaimed the lead with two runs in the seventh, pulling ahead 11-9, but Del Rio’s late inning heroics weren’t done yet.
French reached on an error and eventually stole home to make it 11-10. Farrar walked and later scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 11-11. Jimenez was hit by a pitch, and then Eagle Pass was able to record an out. Paniagua and Valdez each walked to load the bases. Aranda then drew a walk to bring home Jimenez with the game-winner as Del Rio pulled out a 12-11 victory.
In the tournament’s first elimination game Sunday night, La Pryor knocked Kinney County out of the tournament, handing them a 33-19 defeat after Kinney County conceded the game in the top of the sixth inning.
La Pryor and Eagle Pass will face each other tonight at 7 p.m. with the winner facing Del Rio Wednesday night in the championship game.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
