JV Lady Lions shut out Lehman, Manor

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

Strong defense and heavy bats were the name of the game for the Junior Varsity Lady Lions last week, as they logged emphatic victories over the Lehman Lobos and the Manor Mustangs, scoring a total of 30 runs while not allowing one opposing runner across the plate.

On April 6, the Lady Lions hosted the Lehman Lady Lobos

, scoring their second big victory over the Kyle team this season. The Lady Lions ran away with the game, finishing with a score of 9-0.

Starting pitcher Giselle Maciel gave another in a series of strong performances for the Lady Lions, striking out seven batters and giving up only one hit. The Lady Lion defense was equally strong, committing no errors behind Maciel.

Maciel also sounded the starting gun on a strong offensive performance for the Lady Lions, opening the first inning with an infield single. After stealing second and taking third off two pass balls, Maciel crossed the plate courtesy of a right field single off the bat of Mikaela Ramirez. Catcher Amber Hazelett moved Ramirez around to third on a centerfield single of her own, and Allison Baltierra walked on four straight balls to load the bases.

Alyssa Segura recorded the second out of the inning on a ground ball that scored Ramirez, and back-to-back walks from Emilia Gonzales and Shanice Nino brought in Hazelett and Baltierra.

Shelby Duran kept the rally going with a two-out double to score both Nino and Gonzales and bring Maciel back to bat. She singled again, moving Duran around to third before Amanda Juarez sent a single down the third base line to bring Duran in and close the inning with the Lady Lions up 7-0.

In the second inning, the Lobos shut down the Lady Lion offense, retiring three straight batters.

Still, in the third, the Lady Lions proved they were not quite finished. Gonzales led off the inning with a walk, and a ground out to second off Megan Placke’s bat sent her to second. Duran singled to center to score Gonzales, and Briana Avalos ripped a double to center, scoring Duran and closing the game at 9-0.

Riding high from Tuesday’s big win and itching for a fight, the Lady Lions unleashed on the Manor Mustangs, chalking up 21 runs in three innings while stopping the Mustang offense in their tracks.

Maciel threw a perfect game from the circle, as she faced only nine batters. According to Coach Katy Snell, Maciel controlled the game from the start, hitting her spots and forcing the Manor batters to hit into outs.

“Maciel recorded three strike outs and relied on her defense to make plays,” Snell said. “They did just that.”

A combination of heavy bats, smart play and the ability of the Lady Lions to capitalize on Mustang errors allowed the Lady Lions to jump out to a 10-0 lead in the first inning and continue heaping on the pressure and the points throughout the evening.

Nearly every Lady Lion chalked up at-bats, hits and RBIs in the journey to the 21-0 victory, which placed the Lady Lions at 4-3-1 in district.

The Lady Lions hosted the San Marcos Rattlers on Tuesday, April l3 and will travel to Del Valle to square off with the Cardinals on Friday, April 16. They will close their season at home against the Elgin Wildcats on Tuesday, April 20.