MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer needed a near-perfect outing from its starting pitcher to stay undefeated in district competition.
That’s precisely what the Diamondbacks got from Reaghan Staehley.
After entering the day unsure who would start in the circle, Staehley tossed one of her top games of the season against PSJA Memorial in a battle for first place between two unbeaten 31-5A teams.
The sophomore threw a complete-game shutout to give the Diamondbacks a 2-0 home victory over the Wolverines in a pitchers’ duel Tuesday night and extend Pioneer’s winning streak to six games.
“Once Coach called my name, I knew I had to do what I had to do,” Staehley said. “I wanted to keep what I had going from the Nikki Rowe game. That was the goal.”
Staehley picked up right where she left off against the Wolverines after hurling four scoreless innings in a relief appearance during a victory over McAllen Rowe last week.
She mixed in a steady diet of rise balls and off-speed pitches that kept PSJA Memorial’s hitters off-balance.
The sophomore found her rhythm quickly and finished with six strikeouts and three walks while allowing just three hits during an efficient 84-pitch outing, extending her active scoreless innings streak to 12.
“I think (it came from) knowing my defense had my back and knowing that even if I messed up one pitch, there’s always the next batter,” she said.
PSJA Memorial, however, got a quality outing from its starting pitcher, too.
Senior Jasmine Martinez was dialed in from the start for the Wolverines. She tallied five strikeouts and never surrendered an extra-base hit throughout six innings of work.
Together, Martinez and Staehley ensured that runs came at a premium for both sides. The two pitchers combined to allow only five hits and kept the game scoreless through the first 3 1/2 innings.
“It does (get nerve-wracking) because you never know if your offense is going to pull through with you,” Staehley said. “But you always have to know your goal out there is to get three outs. You’ve just got to go out there and pitch the game so the offense can do their job when the time comes.”
Pioneer found its first big break in the bottom of the fourth.
The Diamondbacks capitalized on a well-timed hit-and-run situation when a high fly ball off the bat of Caitlyn Handy dropped in front of the centerfielder to bring in Karissa Lopez to score from first base.
Sharyland Pioneer added an insurance run in the next inning on another error, this time when a scorching line drive from catcher Alondra Rodriguez bounced off the shin of the Wolverines’ left fielder to plate a runner from second.
“Once we got those, I felt very relieved,” Staehley said. “I knew I still had to do my job as a pitcher, but I knew my offense was there for me. … We needed this win a lot. I knew it was going to be great for the team and great for us moving forward.”
The crucial district win for Pioneer moves the team to 10-3-1 overall and 6-0 in 31-5A competition on the verge of the start of Round 2 of district play.
The loss snaps a five-game winning streak for PSJA Memorial and hands the team its first district loss, dropping its overall record to 7-5 and 4-1 in district competition.
The Diamondbacks will look to complete a perfect run through the first half of their district schedule when they travel to face McAllen Memorial at 7 p.m. Friday, while the Wolverines will look to bounce back in their return to action at home against Sharyland High at the same time.
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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
