West girls hang on to down East in PKs

MISSION—Sharyland midfielder Gilberto “Tito” Alanis closed out his high school soccer career on Thursday, May 9, by doing what he’s always done, come through in the clutch. Alanis scored the game-winning goal to lift the West All-Stars over the East 3-2 in the Sixth Annual Rio Grande Valley Soccer Coaches Organization Senior Showcase at Rattler Stadium.

The win was the West squad’s second in a row over the East. The West defeated the East 2-0 in 2012 at the Brownsville Sports Park and leads the all-time RGVSCO Senior Showcase series 4-2.

Read more: Sharyland’s Alanis gives boys West All-Stars showcase victory

When it comes to hurling a 12-pound steel ball through the air, La Joya Palmview’s Felipe Valencia is considered by many to be the best in the state. Valencia will have the opportunity to prove them right at the shot put competition in the state track and field meet in Austin tomorrow.

After taking home the silver medal at state just one year ago, then sophomore Valencia proved that he was already among the best of the best. As this year’s top ranked 5A putter in the Lone Star State and with the district, area and regional championships already under his belt, Valencia needs just one more win to bring Palmview High School its first state championship. Lobos’ head boys track and field coach Margarito Requenez helps put this in perspective.

“It will mean a lot if he wins,” said Requenez. “This school has only been open five years and having the first state champion ever would mean a lot. It’s been a while since La Joya ISD has had a champion.”

Read more: Palmview’s Valencia aims for gold at state meet

MISSION, May 9, 2013—The latest poll by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association released today shows Sharyland High School (29-1) is now ranked No.2 in the state. The Woodlands (29-3) is ranked No. 1.

This weekend, Sharyland will face its first real test in the playoffs as the Rattlers take on McAllen High School (19-11) in the area round. The first game in the best of three series against the Bulldogs will be held Friday at McHi baseball field at 7:30 p.m. The second game of the series will be played at noon, Saturday at Sharyland High baseball field. If a third game is necessary, it will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of game 2 at the same location.

Last weekend, the Rattlers put away Del Rio in just two games, 10-0 and 14-1, to advance.

5A Area Baseball Playoffs
Sharyland vs McHi
Game 1
Friday, May 10, 7:30 p.m.
Site: McAllen HS Baseball Field

Game 2
Saturday, May 11, Noon
Site: Sharyland HS Baseball Field

Game 3
(if necessary)
Saturday, May 11, 30 min. after Game 2
Site: Sharyland HS Baseball Field

Veterans Memorial vs Corpus Christi Flour Bluff
Game #1 Thursday, May 2: 7:30 p.m. at Flour Bluff High School
Game #2 Saturday, May 4: Noon at Veterans Memorial High School
Game #3 (if necessary) May 4: 30 minutes after Game #2 at Veterans Memorial

Sharyland vs Del Rio
Game #1 Friday, May 3: 7:30 p.m. at Krueger Field, Laredo
Game #2 Saturday, May 4: 11 a.m. at Krueger Field, Laredo
Game #3 (if necessary) Saturday, May 4: 30 minutes after Game #2 at Krueger Field, Laredo

Read more: Big 6 baseball playoff schedules 2

Talk about pressure. In a fight for their playoff lives, the La Joya Palmview Lobos found themselves in a do-or-die situation Monday evening when they took the field against the Edinburg Bobcats. In what was a one game playoff to determine District 30-5A’s final playoff qualifier, the winner-take-all scenario became necessary when the two teams, who split their two head-to-head district games, ended regular season play in a tie for fourth place with identical 10-6 records.

Thanks to a stellar pitching performance by Chris Rocha and a clutch hit by right fielder Jose Chapa, it was Coach Ricky Garcia’s Lobos who emerged victorious and who will be playing Laredo United in the bi-district round of the state playoffs this weekend.

“We needed to get in,” said Garcia. “This makes three times out of the past five years that we’ve made the playoffs. That’s something for our seniors to start as a tradition and if they can show this to the young ones we’ll be a tough team to play. Being so young we’ve had a rollercoaster ride but when my players come together to play ball they play tough.”

Read more: Lobos blank Bobcats, earn playoff birth

After having clinched a share of the District 32-4A championship against the Mission High School (MHS) Eagles, the Veterans Memorial High School (VMHS) Patriots baseball team claimed the title outright last Friday evening with their 9-4 home field victory over the Rio Grande City Rattlers. With the win, Coach Casey Smith’s Patriots improved their district record to 12-1 (25-4 overall) with only winless PSJA Southwest (0-13) left on their district schedule.

Against Rio Grande, VMHS fell behind when the Rattlers scored two runs on a double, a walk, a passed ball and an errant throw to first base in the top of the second inning. The Patriots responded quickly however when they scored two of their own in the bottom of the frame with J.R. Martinez’ clutch single which drove in teammates Edward Pena and Isaac Guerrero.

VMHS went on to score two additional runs in the third, four in the fifth and one in the sixth innings. Patriots’ pitcher Edward Pena held the Rattlers to single runs in the fifth and the sixth frames for the 9-4 title clinching victory.

Read more: Patriots and Eagles set to open playoffs