(Edcouch, Texas)-The Sharyland Rattlers captured back-to-back playoff wins over 32-5A Edcouch-Elsa High School in the Class 5A Bi-District Baseball Championships to advance to the second round of the University Interscholastic League Baseball playoffs while the Sharyland Pioneer High School Diamondbacks did the same, by shutting out 32-5A Harlingen South 10-0 on Saturday.
The 31-5A Champions, Rattlers (26-4) will now play 29-5A Corpus Christi Carroll (22-9-2) in the Best-of-Three series while the 31-5A Pioneer Diamondbacks (26-6-1) will meet 30-5A La Joya Palmview (25-7) in a three-game series beginning on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Games will be played at Mission Veterans HS. The McAllen Nikki Rowe Warriors (20-11) will also advance after defeating 32-5A Weslaco East (23-6) 7-0. The 31-5A Warriors will play 29-5A Corpus Christi Ray (30-5) this weekend.
On Friday night, the Rattlers overcame its 5-3 loss to Edcouch-Elsa in Game One on Thursday, and handed the Yellowjackets a 13-1 loss in Game Two, followed by a 12-6 win in Game Three on Saturday. “We just need to come ready to play in the playoffs,” said Rattler head coach, Austin Bickerton. “The Yellowjackets played a good game on Thursday.”
In Game Two, the Rattlers scored two runs in the first inning as the Yellowjackets could not find their groove on the mound. Four batters were walked and that proved to be enough as Yellowjackets pitcher Diego Ramos came in with bases loaded, hoping to end the Rattlers onslaught. Instead, the Rattlers scored 2-0 runs. For the Rattlers, pitcher Diego Diaz was superb on the mound after getting rattled in the first inning, holding the Jackets to just one run, to pick up his first playoff win in 2023. “My team had my back,’ said Diaz. “They always have my back.”
The Rattlers will travel to Cabaniss Field on Thursday to play Carroll at 5:00 p.m. and then back to McAllen HS at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. If necessary, Game Three will be played on Saturday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, Texas. Games for the Nikki Rowe Warriors TBA.