Mercedes pitcher Kassidie Rodriguez releases a pitch during the Girls All Star Softball game at La Villa High school on Tuesday, June, 22,2021 in La Villa. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected])

LA VILLA — Kassidie Rodriguez did a little bit of everything during her final season at Mercedes.

The Tigers’ senior asserted herself as one of the Rio Grande Valley’s elite softball stars by producing at the plate, on the basepaths and in the circle.

Tuesday night was no different.

Rodriguez turned in another dominant all-around performance alongside the top senior standouts across the Valley and helped lead the East All-Stars past the West in a 7-2 victory during the return of the RGV Softball All-Star Game at La Villa High School.

“I think it came down to our chemistry,” Rodriguez said. “I made a lot of friendships and connections, and I think that really helped us. We trusted each other, but also just tried to have fun at the end of the day.”

Rodriguez, a UT-Dallas softball signee, earned the starting nod in the circle for the East All-Stars and quickly made her presence felt both offensively and defensively.

The Mercedes ace pitched two scoreless innings, striking out two and surrendering one hit, before legging out an infield single and swiping both second and third base to put the East on the scoreboard first.

Rodriguez struck again at the plate later in the night smacking an RBI double into the gap between left and center field before eventually scoring for the second time on the night.

Mercedes pitcher Kassidie Rodriguez releases a pitch during the Girls All-Star Softball game at La Villa High school on Tuesday, June, 22,2021 in La Villa. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected])

“I didn’t really put pressure on myself and none of the girls really put that much pressure on themselves because this was basically the last game of our high school careers,” she said. “We just came to have fun, but we knew we were going to win and executed.”

Rodriguez was awarded MVP honors for her efforts after the game, but her stellar performance was merely a microcosm of a complete all-around team effort by the East All-Stars.

Rodriguez combined with Port Isabel’s Allison Gonzalez, Harlingen South’s Kylie Ruiz and Harlingen High’s Audrie Sayas to pitch a gem in the circle with the group routinely pitching the East of jams without trailing at any point.

That was also due in large part to exceptional defensive plays by Los Fresnos’ Aileen Avelar, Lyford’s Hannah Garza — who gunned down a runner sprinting toward the plate with a laser throw after a line drive bounced off the top of the center-field fence — and Harlingen South’s Alexa Saucedo, who caught multiple runners in pickle plays from her spot defensively at third base.

“I was very excited because putting all this talent together is something you don’t see often,” said Avelar, an Oklahoma Baptist signee. “I was ready to show out with my friends and it was so much fun.”

Ziomara Jasso Nikki Rowe (12) and teammates Deanadra Casares PSJA Southwest (27) celebrate an out during the girls All-Star softball game at La Villa High school on Tuesday, June, 22,2021 in La Villa. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected])

The East, however, inflicted most of its damage offensively.

After McAllen Rowe’s Ziomara Jasso tied the game at 1 during the third inning by beating out an infield single that scored McAllen Memorial’s Tori Alvarado, the East came roaring back by scoring six unanswered runs.

Harlingen South’s Alexa Saucedo led off the top of the next frame with a leadoff triple followed by a steal of home plate on a wild pitch.

Then Avelar cracked the game wide open with the biggest hit of the night, a screaming line drive down the right-field line that spurred a three-run rally in the fifth.

Rio Hondo’s Dominique De Jesus put an exclamation point finish on the East’s night offensively with a two-out, two RBI double during the sixth — the seventh extra-base hit of the evening for her side — to ensure every member of the East All-Stars reached base safely at least once.

“We never got flat,” Avelar said. “I’m just very grateful to be here and play alongside so many great players and have (Los Fresnos) Coach (Traci) Blackman out here watching us.”

Edinburg Vela pitcher Karina Guzman releases a pitch during the Girls All-Star Softball game at La Villa High school on Tuesday, June, 22,2021 in La Villa. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected])

Jasso pushed the last run of the game across for the West on a fielder’s choice in the final inning, collecting both of her team’s RBIs on the night. Edinburg Vela’s Karina Guzman collected MVP honors for the West All-Stars after starting the game in the circle and tallying five strikeouts.

Despite a resounding win for the East, though, the theme of the evening for all 45 seniors selected to participate was gratitude after seeing the 2020 RGV Softball All-Star Game and much of their junior seasons wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It feels good to end on a note like this,” Rodriguez said. “We made some fun memories and it was a good time.”

“I’ve grown up with a lot of these girls,” Avelar said. “It was very meaningful to end my last high school game with all my friends.”

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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch