WESLACO — Through three innings, the Mercedes Tigers and Weslaco East Wildcats played each other close, deadlocked at five going into the fourth. Mercedes’ bats caught fire during the fourth, however.
Ignited by a solo homerun by Bridgette Sanchez, the Tigers took control of the game, scoring seven combined runs during the fourth and fifth to down the Wildcats 12-5 at the Weslaco East Softball Field.
“She’s our leadoff and our little spark plug in the outfield,” Mercedes head coach Kristy Leal said. “Bridgette is always positive and always motivating others. She’s just our spark plug who gets it going. She went yard there in the fourth and that was good for us.”
The Tigers and Wildcats entered Thursday’s District 32-5A contest tied for first, each holding a 10-1 mark.
The victory gives the Tigers sole possession of first place in District 32-5A with two games remaining in league play. The Wildcats fall to second, with both their losses in district play coming against the Tigers.
“Coming into the game, we were just thankful to be in this situation right now,” Leal said. “The magnitude of the game, it was the game of our district. The fact that we both made it to this point, it speaks volumes of both teams. Tonight could have gone any way. I’m just glad the girls stuck it out and got the dub.”
Following a five-run inning by the Tigers, the Wildcats found themselves in a 5-1 hole during the bottom of the second.
A pair of base hits by the Wildcats during the inning led to a pitching change for the Tigers, with Zelinda Camacho replacing Anastasia Gomez. Camacho struck out the first batter she faced, before Weslaco East’s Melissa Cabrera delivered a crushing three-run homer to left field to cut the deficit to one.
Camacho bounced back from the homer in dominating fashion, closing out the inning with a pair of strikeouts. The junior pitcher finished with eight strikeouts, with the Tigers allowing just one more run through the rest of the contest to secure the victory.
“I knew that my team had my back after that home run,” Camacho said. “They kept telling me they had me. Weslaco East has really good hitters, so it’s expected. But our bats were hot today.
“We’re not done yet, though. We still have two games left so I can’t say we’ve won district just yet. The next team we have is really good. Our whole district is good. But I have confidence in this team.”
The Tigers return to action at 6 p.m. Tuesday, taking on the Brownsville Lopez Lobos at Brownsville Lopez. The Wildcats hit the road against Donna High at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
