Lombrana fires no-hitter as Eagles rout Cardinals
No way to sweeten this one. It wasn’t even close.
Fortunately for Bellaire, the Cardinals have at least one more day to bite back any bitterness.
Bellaire committed eight errors, Atascocita banged out 17 hits, and pitcher Jenika Lombrana tossed a no-hitter in a 14-0, five-inning rout in Game 1 of the Class 6A Region III semifinal playoff series at Butler.
“This is huge,” Eagles coach Ashley Boyd said.
“The last few rounds we seem to be struggling in the first game to put up runs. Two’s been the common number (the first three Game 1s), and so I challenged them to … jump out with a big score early, and take control.
“We did a great job of that (Thursday).”
Lombrana delivered a nearly flawless performance, despite infield conditions that were less than perfect.
The senior allowed two baserunners — one on an error, one on a walk. She fanned six and induced eight ground-ball outs on only 68 pitches through five innings of work.
“The infield seemed to play with her a little bit,” Boyd said. “I didn’t think her velocity was there. But she did a great job of adjusting and making do with how the field was, and she did a great job.
“When you no-hit a team this far into the playoffs, you’re doing something right.”
Atascocita’s offense was on point, too.
The Eagles scored five runs in the third for a 6-0 lead, with No. 9 hitter Skylar Wilabay supplying a two-run single. Then they piled up eight more runs in a 12batter, seven-hit fifth inning that put it out of reach.
Lesly Miranda led the way, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs.
“We have the slappers in there, and their job is to find a way on base, and those in the four, five and six spots, their job is to clear the bases, and collectively they’re doing their jobs,” Boyd said. “We’re making hard contact and forcing teams to make plays, and we’re not really giving up many outs.”
Bellaire, on the other hand, gave away too many runs.
The Cardinals committed four errors in the fifth inning alone, contributing to their early demise.
“You’re not going to win any playoff games with (that many) errors,” Bellaire coach Brien Tuffly said. “It just doesn’t work that way. And hats off to Atascocita. They hit the ball … hard when they needed to.”
The Cardinals will need a different approach in Game 2, set for 7 p.m. Friday at Atascocita.
Jolie Duong took the Game 1 loss.
“We’ve got to hit the ball,” Tuffly said. “You’re not going to beat anybody with a zero.
“(But) we’ve been here before, where we’ve lost a game or lost the opener, and come back and won, so it’s not insurmountable.”