Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West State Champion) Little League Junior Softball All-Stars 10 Run Rules New Mexico 14-4 in Game One of Southwest Regional Championship Tournament
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2022
The high-flying Eagle Pass-Maverick County Little League Junior (14 Under) All-Stars, now competing as the Texas West State Champion, crushed the New Mexico State Champion (Santa Fe) 14 -4 via the 10 run rule after five innings of play in game one of the double elimination Little League Junior Softball Championship tournament on Saturday, July 23, 2022 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, advancing to the winner’s bracket and remaining undefeated (1-0) in the regional tournament and overall (9-0) since clinching the Texas District 35 championship.
The Eagle Pass-Maverick County All-Stars were led by the offensive prowess of Claritza Leija who batted 4-4 in the five inning game and right-handed pitcher Emily Valdez who hurled a complete game.
Claritza Leija belted a single in the first inning, another single in the third inning, doubled in the fourth and fifth innings to spark the offense.
In the first inning, Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) jumped to an early 2-1 lead on a 2-run RBI single by pitcher Emily Valdez while stifling the potent New Mexico hitters.
In the second inning, Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) tallied two additional runs while New Mexico rallied with three to tie the game 4-4.
In the third inning, Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) rallied to regain the lead (5-4) with a solo home run blast by Karina Gomez while Emily Valdez buckled down and retired the New Mexico All-Stars’ hitters.
With a 5-4 lead and the first game jitters out of the way, Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) potent bats unleashed a hit parade against New Mexico, scoring six runs in the fourth inning to take a commanding 11-4 lead while Valdez kept New Mexico scoreless.
Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) added three runs in the fifth inning to take an 14-4 lead while Valdez retired the New Mexico batters to earn the key win in the opening game of the Southwest Regional tournament.
In addition to Claritza Leija’s four hit performance at the plate, Sofia Gomez, Karina Gomez, Itzel Luna, Emily Valdez, and Elisa Gomez contributed with multiple hits each. Karina Gomez slammed a key solo home run in the third inning to allow Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) regain the lead and ignited momentum back into the team.
Emily Valdez hurled a complete five innings game, allowing four hits, three strike outs, and four runs while earning the victory on the mound.
The Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) All-Stars will now play tomorrow, Sunday, July 24, at 9 a.m. (Mountain Standard Time) against the winner of the Louisiana versus either Texas East or Colorado with a ticket to the Little League Junior Softball Southwest Regional Championship game scheduled on Monday, July 25, at 9 a.m. (MST).
The Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) All-Stars’ goal is to clinch the Little League Junior Softball Southwest Regional Championship in order to punch their ticket to the Little League Junior Softball World Series, but must first take care of business tomorrow one pitch, one out, one at-bat, one inning, and one game at a time.
The Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) All-Stars include Claritza Leija, Emily Valdez, Mayte Figueroa, Sofia Gomez, Karina Gomez, Fatima Montiel, Elisa Gomez, Itzel Luna, Amber Espinosa, and Daisy Garcia. Team manager is Hector Leija and assistant coach is Harold Valdez.
Go Eagle Pass-Maverick County (Texas West) Little League Junior Softball All-Stars! Go for the Gold!
