Problems Popping Up

EDINBURG -- A malfunctioning sprinkler kept popping up on Edinburg North's field, at one point spraying unsuspecting La Joya first baseman Monica Rodriguez.

Both team's second baseman and the closest umpire took turns pushing it back in, turning the Class 5A regional quarterfinals game into a diamond version of Whac-A-Mole early on. If only that had been the Lady Cougars' only problem Thursday.

The Lady Coyotes took advantage of two North mistakes to score their first three runs, then drew on their superior playoff experience to pull out a thrilling 5-3 win on the road and take a 1-0 series lead with them back to La Joya.

"Bottom line is, on what was earned, we should have won that game 3-2," North coach Richard Tressler said. "We earned all three of our runs. We gave them their first three.

"I don't have a problem with the way they scored in the top of the seventh - they earned those runs ... But when you give them a run on a wild pitch, when you give them a two-base error on an E4, that's inexcusable. And I told them going into this game, you're not going to be able to do that against the caliber of a team like La Joya.

"It's impossible."

Game 2 is set for 7:30 tonight, and Edinburg North (25-7) knows a series win still is possible. The Lady Cougars bounced back from a home loss in Game 1 of the area round to win two games on the road the next day and advance.

"The bottom line is our backs are against the wall and it's going to be a tall order to go over there and win two in La Joya, but it's possible," Tressler said.

Soon after the sprinkler problem was corrected, La Joya (28-4) scored its first run on a high pitch from Iliana Hinojosa in the fourth, but the Lady Cougars' response was powerful - a two-run home run by Monica Torresmutt in the bottom of the inning for a 2-1 lead.

The big hit could have demoralized the Lady Coyotes, but they came right back with a two-out rally in the fifth, scoring two runs when second baseman Torresmutt couldn't handle a bases-loaded shot by Aysha Soliz.

North tied the score at 3 in the sixth on an RBI single by Clarissa Garcia (2-for-3), setting up a dramatic seventh. La Joya appeared to take a 4-3 lead on a groundout in the inning, but Clarissa Navarro (2-for-4) was called for interference, negating the go-ahead run. No problem - Soliz (2-for-3) supplied a two-run single on the next at-bat.

La Joya's ace then walked the first two Lady Cougars in the home seventh, but again, no problem. No. 2 pitcher Monica Rodriguez came in and shut the door with the help of a couple nifty defensive plays to preserve the victory.

"They were tough," Soliz said. "They were hitting every where. They were crowding me on the line. I threw past most of them, but the seventh inning they just got me there."

Soliz finished with three strikeouts and five walks and gave up three runs on five hits. Hinojosa didn't record a strikeout, walked two and gave up five runs (two earned) on nine hits in the loss.

"(It was) definitely a tough win on the road," La Joya coach Carlos Rodriguez said. "We're fortunate, actually, to get away with a win and we're glad to be going home."

Jason McDaniel covers high school softball for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4442.