Solis leads West to 8-0 All-Star win over East

SHARYLAND - La Joya pitcher Aysha Solis was in rare form, and it appeared she has not lost a step after a spectacular senior season.

Solis struck out 13 batters to lead the West All-Stars to an 8-0 victory over the East All-Stars in the 3rd annual East-West All-Star Softball Showcase on Tuesday night at Sharyland.

Solis pitched all eight innings and threw a four-hit shutout, earning MVP honors.

"It feels great to be able to play one more time as a senior and end it this way," Solis said. "I felt good on the mound and was on my ‘A' game."

The West squad got on the board first, taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Edinburg North's Alyssa Granado nailed a two-run single to score Sharyland's Kezia Cabrera and Mission Veterans Memorial courtesy runner Michelle Marin.

Granado then scored on a sacrifice by Sharyland's Kay Motheral, who later added her second RBI of the night in the third inning by singling to right field to score Marin and give the West a 4-0 lead.

The West increased its lead to 8-0 in the sixth inning as PSJA North's Amanda Pecina scored on a throwing error by Weslaco High pitcher Nikki Cavazos, Cabrera singled to left to score PSJA North's Robin Martinez and Solis nailed an RBI triple to deep right field. Granado scored the last run of the night on a sacrifice by PSJA North's Crystal Escobedo.

The East had a chance to get on the board in the seventh with runners on first and second with no outs. But Mercedes first baseman Jessy Cadena popped out to second base, and Solis struck out the next two to get through unscathed.

West coach Paul Cruz was pleased with the way his team played.

"The one thing about these girls is that their skill level is second to none," said Cruz, the coach at Sharyland. "We put the ball in play and did a good job defensively. And as for Solis, she was on tonight. I asked her if she wanted to keep going throughout the contest, and she said, ‘Yes.'

"She pitched an incredible game, and the other girls played a heck of a game."

East coach Joey Palacios said he knew his team was in for a tough outing with Solis on the mound, but he had some encouraging words for his players.

"I told the girls to go out and have some fun," said Palacios, the coach at Edcouch-Elsa. "We knew that Solis was going to be tough on the mound, and she proved it tonight. However, I am proud of my team. They never put their heads down and played their hearts out until the end."