La Joya Palmview's Gabby Hernandez (8) makes a catch in the outfield in the 2nd inning against Valley View at Palmview High school softball field on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected])

MISSION — The start to La Joya Palmview’s softball season was unlike the beginning of most teams’ 2021 campaigns across the Rio Grande Valley.

The Lobos were twice interrupted by stoppages due to program-wide quarantines resulting from COVID-19 contact tracing, which limited the team to only three games during the first month of the season.

The pauses in practices and chaotic reshuffling of district games derailed a 3-0 start for the squad and stacked the deck against Palmview during the final weeks of the regular season.

Neither COVID nor District 30-5A competition, however, could prevent the Lobos from picking up where they left off and steamrolling their way to second-place in district play and the first playoff berth in program history.

The Lobos are now set to make their postseason debut at Corpus Christi Flour Bluff at 7 tonight for Game 1 of a best-of-three series in the bi-district round of the 5A playoffs before hosting the Hornets for Game 2 at the same time Friday.

Flour Bluff and Palmview will play a potential winner-take-all Game 3 in Corpus Christi at noon Saturday, if necessary.

“These past three years have been one heck of a ride,” second baseman Bianca Fernandez said. “It’s awesome that during my senior season we get to experience going to the playoffs. This is a really great team. It’s nothing like we’ve had these past three years.”

“It’s only my first year here, but I’ve helped this team out a lot,” freshman pitcher Ariana Alaniz said. “We’re doing a lot on the field this year. It’s something Palmview has never done and it feels great to be a part of it and making history.”

Valley View’s Amanda Garcia (16) misses the tag on La Joya Palmview’s Bianca Fernandez (6) during the 4th inning of a softball game at Palmview High school softball field on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected])

Alaniz and Fernandez have served as the linchpins in a versatile Lobos’ lineup.

Fernandez, the team’s veteran leader and star middle infielder, has shined the brightest among a group of four seniors.

She’s anchored the heart of Palmview’s batting order in the No. 3 spot. Fernandez has tallied a .439 average and leads the team in hits (20), runs (19), RBIs (17), steals (11) and extra-base hits (nine) this season.

Alaniz, meanwhile, has become a major contributor for Palmview both at the plate and in the circle.

She’s posted a team-high .447 average and ranks second on the squad with 18 hits and 15 RBIs.

Alaniz has had her greatest impact as the Lobos’ freshman ace after making the position switch to pitcher for her first varsity season.

She’s started all 14 games for Palmview this season and recorded a 2.23 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings of work to cement herself as the top pitcher in 30-5A.

“It’s been pretty hard because I’ve never had any actual experience playing in a game, but I’ve been training three times a week,” Alaniz said. “It’s helped me a lot throughout this season, especially with everything we’ve been going through. I just had to come out here and give it my all. It’s paid off a lot.”

La Joya Palmview’s Arianna Alaniz (22) during practice before a game against Valley View lat Palmview High school softball field on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected])

Fernandez’s leadership and Alaniz’s immediate impact helped Palmview weather the uncertainty and adversity that defined the first month of its season.

After returning from their second program-wide quarantine in late March and dropping their first games of the season in road losses to Mission Veterans and Rio Grande City on back-to-back days, the Lobos have caught fire.

La Joya Palmview reeled off seven consecutive wins during a 16-day period to clinch the first postseason appearance in school history while outsourcing its opponents 69-12 and handing RGC its only district loss of the year.

The red-hot Lobos are now charging into the playoffs riding as winners of eight straight, the second-longest active winning streak among all Valley teams in Class 5A, and are showing no signs of slowing down.

“Your team chemistry above everything else is key to being a successful program. With all these bumps that we came across, we were never able to get a feel for each other,” La Joya Palmview head coach Jessica Cardenas-Russell said. “It just took us a while to get started with all our delays, but it’s been awesome (ever since). They’ve been able to just work well with each other and they’ve made it work.”

Palmview is set to face a Flour Bluff squad that has historically fared well against Valley teams in the postseason and advanced to the Region IV-5A regional quarterfinals and semifinals in their last two playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The Lobos, however, feel confident about their chances and are relishing the opportunity to gain valuable experience against a team with a postseason pedigree after being severely limited with a truncated non-district schedule.

They’re hoping it will show greatly the program has improved in recent years, while also providing a springboard for the young team to make another leap forward next season.

“We’ve never had a team like this,” Fernandez said. “Making the playoffs for the first time is amazing for me and the other seniors. I’m really proud of (our underclassmen). I know I’m going to leave next year and they’re going to keep on going. We’re a very young team, so hopefully they can keep this going.”

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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch