SAN JUAN — Edinburg Vela entered the weekend riding a wave of momentum and enjoying one of the hottest-hitting lineups across the Rio Grande Valley.
It didn’t take long for Vela’s bats to catch fire again Friday, as a three-run rally during the top of the second inning to open the floodgates.
The SaberCats pounced on PSJA High, the 11th-ranked team statewide in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 6A poll, and crushed the Bears 11-0 in a dominant District 31-6A road victory behind an offensive onslaught at the plate.
“The biggest thing with our game plan coming in was just being patient at the plate. We knew that she wasn’t going to overwhelm us, we just had to be patient and know that our pitch was going to come,” Edinburg Vela head coach Jon Maples said. “I know some of the girls want to go after that first pitch swinging, but we told them to just be a little bit patient and it’ll come. They executed up and down the lineup.”
Vela took advantage of a few critical mistakes during the top of the second inning to take control of the contest early after a walk and a beaned batter put two runners on base.
Elysia Peña put the SaberCats on the board initially with a bloop single to shallow right field and Ava Perez slapped a double to the fence in the left field in the next at-bat as part of a two-out rally to spark the team’s big night at the plate.
That marked the beginning of a 14-hit game for Vela that saw every SaberCat in the lineup tally at least one hit and reach base safely twice each.
“(Other teams) have to pick who they want to go through at the top of our order,” Maples said. “Now Sarah (Cortez) is starting to hit really well and Destine (Garcia) is moving up really well behind the plate and taking command of that. We’ve been getting these younger players who are in their first year on varsity to come through. They’ve been patient … and tonight you saw it.”
Cortez and Peña led the charge offensively for Vela, with Cortez posting a 1-for-3 night at the plate with a double and a pair of RBIs to bring a punch to the bottom of the lineup.
Peña delivered significant damage as well out of the lead-off spot, recording a 3-for-4 game with two RBIs as well.
No one provided more for the SaberCats lineup Friday, though, than pitcher Karina Guzman, who left her mark in the circle and the batter’s box.
Guzman tossed a two-hit, scoreless gem for Edinburg Vela with 11 strikeouts in five innings while also chipping in with an RBI double offensively.
“That’s our pitching staff. They’ve been doing this for three years now and they’ve been through the wringer,” Maples said. “You have to give these girls credit for the leadership they have, but this is a really good team we have. If you’re going to doubt us, we’re going to show you that this group of girls is determined.”
Vela’s victory hands 11th-ranked PSJA High its second consecutive loss after an undefeated start to the season.
It also improves the SaberCats to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in district play, placing them firmly in the 31-6A district title hunt.
Edinburg Vela has now rolled to four consecutive, dominant district wins after a season-opening loss to unbeaten PSJA North.
During that stretch, the SaberCats have outscored their opponents 49-7 in district competition and unleashed one of the Valley’s most potent offensive lineups.
“The biggest thing has been getting back into our normal routine,” Maples said. “This is usually the week we start district after three weeks of tournaments.”
“It was a struggle starting off with PSJA North off the bat during the winter storm and not having practice to all of a sudden playing on a Saturday,” he added. “We went into a district game against a really good opponent and played well, but made some mistakes. PSJA North took advantage of that, but we’ve learned from that and now we’re back in our routine. It’s showing now. We’re getting back to the way we need to be looking.”
Vela returns to action to host La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at 7 p.m. Saturday, while PSJA High faces off against rival PSJA North in the first game of the Tri-City Classic at the same time in Pharr.
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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
