Lady Rattlers bring heat in 14-3 run-rule victory over Del Valle

It took a little bit of time to warm up in San Marcos on Tuesday night.

The wind made its presence felt when San Marcos and Del Valle took the field with the flags blowing freely. Both teams had to find a way to get warm on the field and from at the plate. The visiting Lady Cardinals took no time to get on the board scoring three runs in the first two innings. Meanwhile, it took the hosts three innings to really get hot and when they did the wind was no factor in their success behind the plate as the Lady Rattlers rallied off eight runs in the bottom of the third inning, leading them to a 9-3 advantage. Once that inning ensued, San Marcos never turned off the heater, winning its second district game 14-3 by run-ruling Del Valle in five innings. 

.@SMCISD_Rattlers head softball coach @CoachStoSM talks her squad’s 14-3 run-rule win against Del Valle tonight. 🥎

Part 1:@smdrsports pic.twitter.com/LVnJkgdcbb

— Jude McClaren (@judemcclaren) March 23, 2022

“We can score with one out, we can score two outs,” head coach Cathy Stoughton said. “Sometimes there are teams that, if the first batter gets out, the momentum is over. We do a good job of putting together rallies at any point. We’re doing really well with hitting the ball and putting the ball in play. We had some shots tonight that didn’t fall for us that were caught but they were still good solid contact. We’re putting the ball in play making the defense make plays. We did get the bunt down tonight again, and our speed works when we need it. It’s definitely a group effort. We have hitters in our lineup, one through nine.”

Del Valle (5-10, 2-1 District 26-6A) got off to a 3-0 start, mostly due to the defense’s blunders as two of the visitor’s first three runs were unearned throughout the first three innings. Junior outfielder CJ Castilla got things started with a leadoff double. Two more hits loaded the bases and a walk brought in Castilla for the first run for San Marcos. Senior infielder Bitsy Silva started her impressive night with a hit between the center and left outfielders’ gloves, which left Silva on third base alone celebrating as her coach tapped her helmet with a smile. The hit awarded San Marcos with a 6-3 lead — it’s first of the game. 

San Marcos (9-11, 3-2) batted through the lineup until Castilla came back up and duplicated her first at-bat of the inning — though, this time she was given an RBI to add to her stat line.

The defense followed the offense’s lead by holding the visitors scoreless the rest of the way out but the Lady Rattlers’ bats weren’t done getting warmth off the ball. Silva knocked another RBI double to the outfield to start the fourth. 

Silva’s been on a tear as of late and is seeing the ball particularly well for hitting in the middle of the lineup. Even switching pitchers during her plate appearance had no effect on Silva’s swing.

.@SMCISD_Rattlers @BitsySilva and @Cjcastilla11 talk their 14-3 run-rule win against Del Valle. 🥎

Part 1:@smdrsports pic.twitter.com/l2IdHbV2KM

— Jude McClaren (@judemcclaren) March 23, 2022

“I’m just focusing on mechanics,” Silva explained. “I’m not really doing anything different other than just relaxing and breathing, hitting the ball, making contact and moving runners.

“When they switch pitchers, they’re completely opposite. One had a little bit more speed and the other one really didn’t and one was outside and one was inside. So I just had to turn my hips and hit that inside pitch.”

That ignited another five-run inning by the hosts and allowed them to bat through the lineup once again. Junior and senior outfielders Maya Richards and Brittany Rodriguez both chipped in RBIs. 

Silva finished 2-3 from at the plate with four RBIs and two runs. Castilla added a 3-4 performance with two RBIs and two runs. Richards also had three RBIs.

San Marcos looks to keep it going on March 25 inside Rattler Softball Diamond against Austin Bowie (11-5, 3-1) at 7 p.m. The Lady Rattlers have struggled to get over the two-consecutive-win hump this season but after a victory like this, Stoughton believes it could be their time to change their fortunes.

“I think we’re playing with a lot of confidence right now and you need to play with a lot of confidence,’’ Stoughton said. “Bowie is tough. I also think we’re tough and I tell the girls all the time I want people to start saying hey, man, you got San Marcos. I think people are starting to see what we’re capable of and we’re making some noise.”