By Brian Argabright
Once Del Rio grabbed the lead from Laredo United South they never gave it back.
The Queens softball team batted around in the third and fourth inning and earned its third district win of the season Tuesday, beating the visiting Lady Panthers 14-4 via the run rule.
Del Rio is now 3-2 in district play and remains unbeaten at home.
South opened the game with a pair of runs in the first inning, but Del Rio countered with three runs to take the lead, which the team never gave back.
Jada Bishop, Alexis Salinas and Kayla Mendoza had three straight RBIs to put the Queens in front and offer a sign of things to come.
Del Rio’s defense helped make the lead stick in the second as Desiree Gomez made a sprinting catch headed into foul ground for the second out, and then fired the ball in to double off the runner at third to snuff out a potential South rally.
The Queens busted the game wide open in the third inning. Del Rio sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring four runs on five hits and three costly South errors.
Ari Alcaraz had the big hit with a two-run single, and Syann Casillas added a bloop double that would have been a single had Casillas not turned on the jets and caught South’s defense napping to snag an extra base.
Del Rio’s bats didn’t slow down in the fourth inning, adding six more runs to its tally to take a 14-2 lead into the fifth inning.
Desi Rodriguez had an RBI single and Hope Martinez followed with an RBI triple. Martinez would score on a wild pitch, one of several miscues in the inning that helped the Queens pile on the runs.
In one sequence, Casillas walked, but the fourth ball went wild and Mendoza who reached on a fielder’s choice, advanced to third. As Casillas rounded first to draw attention away from her teammate, South tried to pick Mendoza off, but the throw went wide and Mendoza scored. Casillas motored around second base and headed to third where another bad throw allowed her to race home where she slid headfirst into the plate to complete an impromptu trip around the bases.
South was able to score twice in the top of the fifth, but Bishop snagged a line drive for the final out of the game.
Every Queen in the starting lineup reached base safely. Rodriguez, Martinez, Valdez, Mendoza and Bishop each had two hits while Alcaraz, Alexis Salinas and Casillas each had one hit. Ashley Salinas walked and reached base on an error.
Del Rio will travel to Eagle Pass to face the Lady Eagles at 6 p.m. on Friday.
The Queens’ next home game will be Friday, April 9, when they host Laredo United at 5 p.m. at the Queens Softball Field.
