Lady Falcons will remember all-star game

MISSION - For Alyssa Garcia of Los Fresnos, being a part of the East All-Star softball team was a memorable experience.

Nevermind that the West won Tuesday night's third annual East-West All-Star Softball Showcase 8-0 behind the standout pitching of La Joya's Aysha Soliz, who had 13 strikeouts and tossed a four-hitter in the game's scheduled eight innings.

Garcia still had a good time in her last high school softball appearance, joining Lady Falcon teammates Priscilla Ruiz and Roxanne Martinez in the East's starting lineup.

"It felt good to play on the (East) team, and I think it was a good experience," said Garcia, an outfielder. "It was a lot of fun, and it was nice meeting the girls on the team. I made a lot of friends and I hope to see them in the future.

"I think younger girls coming up should try their best (to be an all-star) because it's a lot of fun," she added.

East coach Joey Palacios of Edcouch-Elsa decided before the game that everyone on his roster would play despite how the game went.

"We knew coming into the game that the West was going to have an outstanding pitcher (in Soliz)," Palacios said. "She represented herself and her school very well.

"We just basically told our girls to go out and have some fun doing what they've been doing the past four years (in high school)," he added. "We dug a hole for ourselves early (falling behind 4-0) and we knew it was going to be a tough climb out because of their pitching. But our girls never gave up.

"I asked them at the end if they had fun, and they said they did, so that helped to see a smile on their faces."

The West took control in the bottom of the first inning, going up 3-0 on a two-run single by Edinburg North's Alyssa Granado followed by an RBI sacrifice by Sharyland's Kay Motheral, whose RBI single in the third made it 4-0.

Soliz, the game's MVP, highlighted a four-run sixth inning for the West by slamming an RBI triple to the right-center field wall, making it 7-0. Crystal Escobedo of PSJA North then had an RBI sacrifice to account for the contest's final run.

"It felt great going out there and pitching the whole game," said Soliz, who is headed to Texas Southern University on a softball scholarship.

"At first, we were all newcomers to each other, but in the five practices or so that we had, we all came together and we came out here and played a great game, so it feels very good."

In the inaugural Softball Showcase at Hidalgo in 2006, the West won 2-1. Last year at Sharyland, the East triumphed 6-0 behind the MVP pitching performance of Stephanie Cabler of Rivera.