Arabians knock out Crystal City 14-0

Varsity Arabian Korin Stehle homered in Devine’s win over Crystal City. More photos available in our online store!

The Varsity Arabians continued their winning ways last Thursday, April 13 in Crystal City, cruising to a 14-0 win over the Lady Javelinas to improve to 6-1 in District 29-4A and 21-6 overall.
“Another fast start for the Arabians,” Coach Mark Mangold said. “We played with a lot of confidence.”
Devine jumped out to a quick lead in the top of the 1st inning, thanks to Jaylyn Stewart’s solo shot to center field.
After starting pitcher Amanda Wilson mowed Crystal City down in order in the bottom of the inning, the Arabian offense kicked into high gear in the top of the 2nd. Brittany Jay led with a double to center, Wilson walked, and Jessie Ramirez hit a one-out double to right-center to drive in Jay. Wilson scored on a wild pitch, Marin drew a walk, and Stewart hit a two-out single to left to knock in Ramirez and Martin for a 5-0 lead.
The Lady Javelinas made some noise in the bottom of the second inning, getting three straight runners on base before Wilson knuckled down and recorded three swinging strikeouts in a row to end Crystal City’s threat.
Devine batted around in the top of the 3rd inning to put the game out of reach for good. Jay led things off with a single, and Brooklyn Anderson and Ramirez hit consecutive one-out singles to left to load the bases. Taylor Carr reached on an error by the Crystal City third baseman that also allowed Jay to score. Stewart hit a long ball to center that drew an error from the Lady Javelinas’ center fielder, and Anderson and Ramirez each came in to score. Korin Stehle followed with a three-run bomb to straightaway center field to clear the bases and put the Arabians up 11-0.
Wilson bounced back from a rough previous half-inning to set the Lady Javelinas down in order in the bottom of the 3rd inning.
The Arabians added three more runs in the top of the 4th inning. Anderson drew a one-out walk, Ramirez singled, and Julie Ortiz bunted for a base hit, driving in Anderson in the process. Carr hit a two-out double to drive in Ortiz, and scored on Stewart’s single to center.
Carr took over for Wilson on the mound in the bottom of the 4th inning and gave up back-to-back singles and a walk before settling down and getting out of trouble thanks to two outs on the base paths and a good play by third baseman Kim Freeman to scoop up a short grounder and make the throw across the infield to first baseman Jay for the final out.
Jenna Sadler and Jay led off the top of the 5th inning with consecutive singles, but Devine was ultimately held scoreless for the first time in the game.
Carr finished the game off in style, setting the Crystal City batters down in order to complete the 14-0 victory.
Devine had 14 hits and four walks, left six runners on base, and played error-free ball. Crystal City had just four hits, one walk, left five on base, and committed four errors.
“All aspects of our team were solid and we performed at a high level,” Coach Mangold said. “This sets the stage for a rematch with Pearsall for a share of the district title this week.”
Batting: Carr 1-4, 2 RBI; Stewart 3-4, 5 RBI, 1 SB; Stehle 1-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB; Sadler 1-4; Jay 3-4; Wilson 0-3, 1 BB; Anderson 1-3, 1 BB, 1 SB; Ramirez 3-4, 1 RBI; Martin 0-1, 1 BB; Ortiz 1-1.
Pitching: Wilson 3 IP, 3 hits, 6 strikeouts; Carr 2 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk.
Upcoming Games
The Arabians will have hosted Pearsall in a game that will likely decide the District championship on Tuesday, April 18. The results of that game will be in next week’s edition of The Devine News.
By Marly Davis
Staff Writer