RIO HONDO — This softball season has been a roller coaster for the Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats.
The Lady Cats, who are a young group, has endured its lumps but has found its form over the past few weeks.
The team is currently 6-0 in District 32-4A and is in good shape to win a fifth straight league title.
A mainstay for the Lady Cats has been the guidance and steady play from twin sisters Annie and Abbie Alvarado. The senior duo has a combined for 40 runs and 57 hits through the first half of district play.
Abbie, who bats in the middle of the order, is batting .400 on the year with 24 hits and is tied for third on the team with 22 RBIs. And behind the plate, she has an impressive .934 fielding percentage.
“I think about it every day on how fast the season is going,” Abbie said. “The first three years have gone by so slow and now this year it feels like it’s going by fast. It’s crazy; I can’t put my head around it. This year has been great. The younger girls are mature and have learned a lot. We don’t have to tell them too much; they have such a great attitude and they come ready to play.”
On Tuesday, Rio Hondo hosted Zapata in what was a battle of unbeaten clubs. Annie took the circle and delivered a masterful six-inning, two-hit shutout while her offense did the rest in a 10-0 win. Abbie, meanwhile, took her place behind the plate and finished the night 2 for 4 at with a double, a triple and four RBIs.
“We knew we were going to have to rely on our seniors this year,” said Rio Hondo coach Brett Esparza. “We just got healthy. There was a time where Annie, Abbie and Atheny Orozco where leading the younger girls. They did a good job of keeping them motivated throughout the preseason.”
Along the way, Rio Hondo took its lumps against Edinburg North, Harlingen South and Los Fresnos. Despite the early season struggles, the Lady Cats feel good about themselves and have grown from the losses and are starting to peak.
“Right now we are seeing that the mistakes we made early, we are not making them anymore,” Esparza said. We’re playing some great defense right now and we know through district play that we’re making clean plays.”
Annie, who is the vocal leader and has been a part of playoff runs and has played in pressure situations, gives the younger girls motivation and ways how to handle themselves on the field. As the team’s ace this year, she has filled some big shoes left by Jennifer Flores and Miranda Martinez, who toed the rubber last year for Rio Hondo.
“I take the circle and I think ‘show some teeth’ and I have a scripture on my glove that says ‘God is within her, she won’t fail.’ Those are some things that help me,” said Annie. “I focus on the task and on Abbie, I don’t focus on the outside noise; I go out there and execute every pitch and I couldn’t do it without my defense, they’re a big part of what I do.”
So far Annie has stymied opposing offenses with a 2.68 ERA along with a 7-3 record. Through 49.2 innings of work, the senior has fanned 42 batters and walked nine.
