McALLEN — The McAllen Rowe Warriors lost Game 1 of its two-game series against Sharyland Pioneer by one run Tuesday. The Warriors got some payback Friday by defeating the Diamondbacks 5-3 at Rowe High School in a battle of District 31-5A’s top two teams.
Rowe improved their record to 16-5 overall and 7-1 in district, while Pioneer fell to 18-5 and 7-1.
“Pioneer is a heck of a team, and I think when you have a good team that you play against, you have to respect them and haveconfidence in ourselves,” Rowe head coach Adrian Leal said. “We go down, it’s an unfamiliar spot for us, but that shows thecharacter and mental make up of these guys. Whatever it is that happens, we’re going to play the game that we play, and at the end of the day, we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”
The Warriors broke a 3-3 tie during the bottom of the fifth with an RBI by Ivan Salinas and a run scored on an error by Yahir Garcia. Jacob Torres went 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run.
The Warriors let Game 1 slip away during the seventh inning Tuesday. This time around, Salinas struck out two and forced a fly out to close the show. Salinas went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs. Rowe pitcher Ruben Campos earned the win withfour strikeouts across six innings.
Pioneer’s Oscar Serna finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
The Diamondbacks shift their focus to a two-game series against crosstown rival Sharyland High next week. Game 1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sharyland High, with Game 2 set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Pioneer.
Next for Rowe is a home game against PSJA Memorial at 7 p.m. Tuesday, followed by a road game at PSJA Memorial at 7 p.m.Thursday.
DISTRICT 31-6A
EDINBURG HIGH 5, MISSION HIGH 3: At Mission, the Bobcats picked up a crucial win over the Eagles to remain in the hunt for oneof the four playoff spots up for grabs in District 31-6A.
Edinburg’s Daren Barrera and Andel Saenz recorded two RBIs each. The Bobcats improved to 6-5 in district, one game back ofthe Eagles, now the No. 4 seed in the district at 6-4.
DISTRICT 32-6A
LOS FRESNOS 5, WESLACO HIGH 3: At Weslaco, the Falcons created more space at the top of District 32-6A by defeating the Panthers for the second time this week. Both teams entered the week unbeaten in district play.
The Falcons are now 8-0 in 32-6A, while the Panthers dropped to 6-2 in league play.
