By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
After dropping their district opener, the Del Rio Queens softball team has rattled off three straight wins.
The latest win was a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Laredo Alexander 4-3 Wednesday afternoon at the Queens Softball Field.
Early on in the contest it was a series of missed opportunities that kept both teams scoreless.
Alexander got a runner to third base in the top of the second inning, but Queens pitcher Rebekah Alcaraz struck out Abigail Valdez to end the Lady Bulldogs’ threat.
The Queens followed suit in the bottom of the second as Alcaraz smacked a one-out triple to right field, but that’s where she would remain as Alexander’s Krista Gamez retired the next two batters she faced to kill the scoring threat.
Alexander threatened again in the third, but Queens catcher Hope Martinez threw out one runner trying to steal and Alcaraz was able to get the final out of the inning on a fly out with two runners on base.
The game remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning when Alexander scored three runs to take a 3-0 lead.
Kayla Herrera reached on an infield single, Gamez singled to left field and Samantha Arce loaded the bases with a bunt. Alcaraz then walked Carmen Perez to force in the Lady Bulldogs’ first run.
After Del Rio was able to retire the next two batters, including one via a diving catch by Mi’amor Salazar, Alexander’s Jazmine Rodriguez ripped a single to center field to drive in a pair of runs for the 3-0 lead.
Del Rio was able to get one of those runs back in the bottom of the sixth. Ithalia Ozuna drew a leadoff walk and then scored on an error by the Alexander center fielder following a two-out single by Martinez.
The Queens trailed by two runs headed into their final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh. Alcaraz was hit by a pitch to lead off the at-bat. Salazar then hit a fly ball that Alexander’s second baseman dropped and kicked into foul territory, leaving runners at second and third with no one out.
Naylea Santana’s infield single scored Alcaraz to make the score 3-2. Following a flyout by Syann Casillas, Ozuna hit a hard ground ball to second base. The fielder tried to throw Salazar out at home, but was unable to do so, tying the game at 3-3.
In the eighth inning, Alexander’s Gamez reached on an infield single. Gamez was able to take third on an error following a groundout, but she would be thrown out at home by Casillas. Martinez then ended the Alexander threat by throwing out Perez, who reached on a fielder’s choice to Casillas, trying to steal second.
The Queens loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth with two outs as Kayla Mendoza was hit by a pitch, Salazar singled and Santana was intentionally walked, but Jena Villarreal’s fly ball to first base was caught for the final out of the inning.
Alexander led off the ninth inning with a Magali Herrera single. After a sacrifice bunt moved her to second, Herrera moved to third on a wild pitch. Ozuna, who took over pitching duties in the top of the seventh, retired the next two batters to end the threat and give Del Rio another chance to break the deadlock.
Ozuna got things going in the bottom of the ninth when she reached base on an errant throw by Alexander’s shortstop. After a sacrifice bunt by Desiree Gomez moved Ozuna to third, the Lady Bulldogs opted to intentionally walk Jada Bishop and Martinez to load the bases with one out.
Mendoza, who had been hitless on the day, then stepped in a lofted a fly ball to center field. The fielder made the catch, but her throw home wasn’t close enough to get Ozuna who tagged up and scored the winning run.
It was Ozuna’s second win of the week. She scattered four hits in a 10-0 win over Laredo Nixon Monday in Laredo.
Del Rio had nine hits in the win as the Queens scored five runs in the fourth inning to earn the win via the run rule in the fifth inning.
Salazar had two hits and two RBIs in the win. Gomez also had two hits and an RBI. Ozuna, Bishop, Mendoza, Alcaraz and Santana each had a hit, and Alcaraz drove in a pair of runs.
Del Rio returns to action Tuesday, March 22, when they travel to Laredo to face United South at 5 p.m.
The Queens’ next home game will be Friday, March 25, when they host the Eagle Pass Lady Eagles at 7 p.m. at the Queens Softball Field.
—
Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
