Sharyland Pioneer senior right-handed pitcher David Lopez delivered another dominant performance on the mound by throwing a no-hitter against Sharyland High during an 8-0 victory Friday at Pioneer High School in Mission.
The crosstown rivals had added incentive as the Sharyland Rattlers (17-2, 4-1) entered the night ranked No. 2 in the state, with the Pioneer Diamondbacks (18-1, 5-0) right behind them ranked at No. 3, according to the latest Texas High School Baseball DIamond Pro Class 5A Top 25 Poll.
Lopez, a Wharton County College commit, pitched a gem for the Diamondbacks with nine strikeouts and one walk on 99 pitches over seven innings.
Lopez is now tied for No. 1 in the state in wins with six this season, according to Max Preps. Sharyland High’s Kike Cienfuegos is also tied for No. 1 with a 6-0 mark in 2021.
The Diamondbacks also piled 10 hits with a 3-for-3, two-RBI day from Joshua Benitez and a 3-for-4, one-RBI game from third baseman Oscar Serna.
Next for the Pioneer Diamondbacks is a home game against PSJA Memorial (4-6, 1-4) scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Sharyland Rattlers will attempt to bounce back when they host the McAllen High Bulldogs (14-4, 4-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
LA JOYA HIGH 9, EDINBURG VELA 5: At Edinburg, the La Joya Coyotes (10-0, 10-0) kept their perfect overall and District 31-6A record intact by holding off a late rally from the Vela SaberCats (9-2, 8-2).
The Coyotes were in cruise control with an 8-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but the SaberCats answered with four runs. Ivan Mendoza walked to bring in one, Carlos Peña drove in two with a base hit, and Jaime Perez Jr. added another on a sacrifice fly.
It wasn’t enough, however, as La Joya’s Alan Delgado, Hugo Cantu and Guti Gutierrez all finished with two RBIs apiece.
The Coyotes’ next challenge comes against PSJA North at 7 p.m. Tuesday in La Joya, while the SaberCats have a rivalry game against Edinburg North on deck at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Edinburg North High School.
RIO GRANDE CITY 17, LAREDO MARTIN 0: At Laredo, the Rio Grande City Rattlers rolled to their fifth straight win in District 30-5A competition with a beatdown of Laredo Martin.
Rio Grande City’s Emmanuel Garza, a Rice commit, led his team with five RBIs, while Eddie Garza (Grayson commit) and Marc Perez (UTRGV commit) each added two RBIs. The Rattlers lit Laredo Martin up for 15 hits in five innings.
Perez also started for Rio Grande City surrendering just one hit while striking out six batters during four innings of action.
The Rattlers take the field again at 6 p.m. Tuesday as they host Laredo Cigarroa.
