El Paso Americas muscles by Abilene High, into second round of Class 6A softball playoffs
FORT STOCKTON - Sabrina Carrillo and Sydney Saenz each homered and drove in three runs to power El Paso Americas past Abilene High 9-5 and into the second round of the Region I-6A playoffs here Friday.
Carrillo and Saenz both hit two-run homers as the Trailblazers won the deciding game of the best-of-three series.
The win capped a doubleheader sweep. Carrillo hit a two-run homer, and Mia Perez tossed a three-hitter in a 4-2 victory earlier in the day.
AHS (17-13) won the opener 8-7 on Thursday, thanks to a three-run rally – all with two outs – in the bottom of the seventh.
Americas, which scored three runs in the top of the seventh in Game 1 and was out away from winning the game with no runners on for AHS, bounced back in Game 2.
Carrillo put the Trailblazers up early with a two-run homer in the second inning.
The Lady Eagles cut the lead in half on Bre Barajas’ solo homer in the fourth, but Americas added two runs on a one-out error in the bottom of the inning.
Jailyn Shaw led off the fifth with a walk and her courtesy runner, Aubri Camacho, scored when Emma Mora reached on a two-base error.
But AHS left Mora stranded and couldn’t pull off a seventh-inning comeback like it did in the opener when the Lady Eagles scored three runs in their last at-bat to win 8-7.
Mia Perez, America’s starter, struck out six and walked three in the complete-game victory.
Diana Silva allowed four runs on four hits. She walked three in four innings. Maddie Perez pitched two scoreless innings in relief, giving up a hit and walking one.
In the series’ finale, AHS got off to a good start.
Lanay Carr hit a leadoff triple to start the game and scored on Barajas’ ground out to third.
Mia Perez tied the game with a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the inning, but the Lady Eagles went up 3-1 when Aiyona Lee drew a bases-loaded walk in the second inning and Carr followed with an RBI single.
Carr led AHS with a 4-for-4 game at the plate, driving in two runs and scoring twice.
Americas tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the inning, and Saenz broke the tie with a two-run blast in the third after a lead-off single by Carrillo.
The Trailblazers pushed their lead to 6-3 on Saenz’s RBI double in the fifth. Carrillo, who reached on a two-base error, scored on the hit.
Carrillo capped the day with a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh for a 9-3 lead. She had six hits, including three homers, and five RBIs in the series, while Saenz – an Oregon State commit, hit two homers and six RBIs in the series.
AHS didn’t go quietly in the bottom of the inning.
Lee singled and scored on Carr’s triple. Carr scored on a one-out passed ball before Barajas singled. But Mia Perez struck out the final two batters to clinch the series’ win.
Mia Perez got the win, allowing five runs on eight hits. She struck out eight and walked five in posting her third consecutive complete game in the series and the second of the day.
Maddie Perez took the loss, giving up nine runs on 13 hits. She struck out six and walked none.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: El Paso Americas ends Abilene High's season in softball playoffs
