The Lyford Lady Bulldogs are heading to the area round of the state playoffs after they defeated Corpus Christi London 6-1 Saturday afternoon to sweep the bi-district series.
Lyford will face Goliad in the next round with the time and place to be decided later this week.
“This was a great team win and effort,” said Lyford coach Joey Rios. “We had girls step up when we needed them to. The kids have been focused and that mentality continued today as we controlled the controlables.”
Lyford’s pitching was the storyline once again. This time around, Lyford turned to the freshman Jerrica Rojas, who threw 5.1 innings along with eight strikeouts. Evelyn Ortiz entered in relief and the duo combined for 11 strikeouts and allowed just the one run on two hits.
Rojas also provided a spark on offense going 2 for 3 while collecting five RBIs. Jessica Cruz also chipped away with a 2 for 2 performance at the plate.
Lyford used a four-run third inning, and scored once in the fourth and sixth inning to secure the five-run victory.
“We played some tough defense when we had to,” Rios said. “Overall our pitching, infield and outfield all stepped up and made plays.”
In the series, Lyford scored 14 runs on 19 hits. Rojas led the charge collecting seven RBIs and five hits. Ortiz struck out 16 batters in two outings – one in relief and one as a starter.
LADY KATS’ SEASON ENDS: Raymondville’s season ended this weekend against Orange Grove. After falling in Game 1 on Wednesday, Orange Grove defeated Raymondville 13-0 on Friday. Raymondville ended their season at 15-11.
