By Clara Sandoval
The 830 Times
LAREDO-The Del Rio Queens lost a close one to open District 30-6A softball action on the road. Senior Alessandra Thatcher ripped a single in the bottom of the sixth to score the go ahead run and help Laredo Laredo LBJ beat Del Rio 6-5 at the Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex.
“It was a great game, two great teams going at it,” Del Rio head coach Nufi Rodriguez said. “They competed, we competed, they punched, we punched back and they punched one more time.
Del Rio’s Rebekah Alcaraz took the loss and gave up 10 hits and issued only two walks through six innings of play.
“Rebekah is a senior and has been doing it for us for three years. She had a great playoff game last year and we just built it from that,” Rodriguez said.
As a team Laredo LBJ out hit Del Rio 10-9 with Adamaris Ramirez going 3 for at the plate with Campos and Martinez went 2 for 3.
Laredo LBJ (13-8, 1-0) took the lead in the second inning on a sacrifice hit by Medina to score Hailey Garica as the Lady Wolves took a 1-0 edge.
Del Rio came (0-1) back in the ensuing inning and utilized a combination of two hits and two costly errors by the Laredo LBJ defense to take a 2-1 lead. Ithaila Ozuna (2 for 3) and Syann Casillas (1 for 4) had back to back hits to put runners on but two throwing errors had then crossed home plate for two unearned runs.
The Lady Wolves were able to knot up the game in the fourth inning on back to back hits by Ramirez and Garcia. After Ramirez ripped her second single of the game and stole second base, Garcia sent a long ball to the outfield to bring her around and tied up the game.
Del Rio found some momentum to pull away from Laredo LBJ in the fifth inning. Mia Ojeda laid down a bunt and beat out the throw to first base. She moved to third base on a double by Ozuna. A hard double by Santana brings Ojeda and Ozuna across home plate as the Queens take a 5-2 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth a walk is issued out to Thatcher. She moved to second on a ground out and went on to score on a single by Campos. Laredo LBJ scored two more runs by Campos and Itzel Landeros to knot up the game at 5-5 heading into the sixth inning.
