JrHigh Tennis @ Levelland (4-25-2015)

JrHigh Tennis @ Levelland  (4-25-2015)

The seventh and eighth grade Lady Mules and Mules combined to compete in the SPCHEA Tennis Meet held on the campus of South Plains College Saturday. There were 14 schools that brought about 250 participants. 

Muleshoe entered 37 players that played in approximately 75 Pro-Set Matches. The matches were cut from six games to five to four and finally to three games because of time constraints. 

The girls’ doubles team of Anahi Sandoval and Perla Vasquez led the Lady Mules by winning the silver medal. The defeated Spur 6-2, Levelland 6-1 but lost to Abernathy 2-3.

AB Mendoza and Kayla Torres won a consolation bracket. The team lost to Seminole 4-6 before defeating Brownfield 6-0 and a Muleshoe team 3-0. Nicole Lopez and Mia Reyna also won a Consolation bracket. They lost to Seminole 1-6, a Muleshoe team 6-1 and a second Muleshoe team 3-2.

Michelle Reyes won a Consolation bracket in girl’s singles. She lost to Lazbuddie 1-6 but bounced back to defeat Levelland 6-2, Tulia 6-4 and Seminole 4-1. Abigail Reyes won a different Consolation bracket. She lost to Seminole 2-6 in the first round and then came back to defeat Levelland 6-2 and Idalou 4-0. 

Derek Barron and Kelan Florez won a silver medal in a boys’ doubles bracket. They defeated Spur 6-4, Seminole 6-4 before losing to Spur 1-3. Jacob Laneros and Osvaldo Nunez also won a silver medal in a boys’ doubles bracket. They defeated Spur 6-2, Levelland 6-2 before falling to Sudan 0-3.

Luke Leal earned a silver medal in a singles bracket by defeating Levelland 6-0, Lazbuddie 6-0, Muleshoe 6-1 before falling to Spur 0-3. Raul Sierra also won a silver medal in a singles bracket by defeating Shallowater 6-0, Tulia 6-0 and Motley County 6-2 before losing to Motley County 0-3.

Corbin Hardwick placed third in a singles bracket by defeating Sudan 7-5, lost to Muleshoe 1-6 but came back to defeat Seminole 3-0. Ethan Gonzales won a consolation bracket by losing to Motley County 0-6 and came back to defeat Abernathy 6-1, Lazbuddie 6-3 and Seminole 4-2. Carter McCamish won third in a singles bracket. He lost to Spur 2-5 and defeated Sudan 3-0. 

Madison Hasley and Maddison Price teamed up in girls’ doubles. They lost to Lazbuddie 0-6, defeated Levelland 7-6 with a 7-5 tie breaker, Spur 7-5 before losing to Muleshoe 0-3. Adriana Mora and Arina Phillips defeated Tulia 6-3 in girls’ doubles but lost to Levelland 6-7 with a 3-7 tie breaker and fell to Muleshoe 1-6. 

Hailey Anzaldua and Megan Macias lost to Abernathy 2-6, defeated Spur 6-4 and fell to Muleshoe 2-3. Kehvia Quick and Joceline Ramirez lost to Abernathy 0-6 and Loop 1-6. Sharice Rosa and Valerie Toscano fell to Levelland 1-6, defeated Spur 6-4 and lost to Loop 2-3.

In girls’ singles Alexa Herrera lost to Idalou 0-6 and Seminole 4-6. Natalie Diaz fell to Abernathy 2-6 and Post 1-6. Jasmine Gutierrez lost to Seminole 3-6 and Abernathy 2-6. Nikole Quezada was defeated by Spur 0-6 and Abernathy 2-4. 

Jillian Rojas lost to Tulia 1-6 and Seminole 4-6. Destiny Vasquez fell to Abernathy 1-6 and Idalou 4-6. Felicity Rodriguez was defeated by Levelland 2-6 and Abernathy 2-6. 

Colton Morrison and Josh Torres was defeated in boys’ doubles by Christ the King 3-6 but defeated Tulia 5-0 before losing to Spur 2-3. 

Ethan Villa lost to Seminole in boys’ singles 5-7 but defeated Matador 6-1 and Seminole 5-1 before falling to Brownfield 2-3. 

The junior high District 2-3A Meet will be in Plainview May 5 on the Plainview High School courts.    

Mules vs Friona & Shallowater (4-21&25-2015)

Mules vs Friona & Shallowater (4-21&25-2015)

The Mules won a pitching duel Tuesday in Friona 3-1 to secure third place in District 2-3A. Dustin Smith was the winning pitcher. He gave up one run on six hits and the Mules committed three errors. Smith struck out five Chieftains and stranded eight. 

Saturday the Mules hosted the Shallowater Mustangs for the Mules final regular season game. It was Senior Day for the Mules. The pregame ceremonies turned out to be the highlight of the day for the Mules. 

The six Mule seniors and their parents were introduced. Future plans for the players was also read to those present in the ballpark. The Mules lost the game 10-2 with Shallowater scoring the first 10 runs in the game. The Mules scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning. 

The Mules went in order against Friona in the first three innings. Nathan Rejino doubled to right field in the top of the fourth for the Mules’ first hit of the game but he did not score. 

The Chieftains broke the scoring ice in the bottom of the third inning on an error, a single and a double. Smith got a strike out to end the inning and left three Chieftains on base. 

Bryce Mauricio bunted down the first baseline for an infield hit in the top of the sixth inning with two Mule outs. An error on the first baseman allowed Rejino to reach first base and Mauricio stopped at third. The Friona catcher attempted to pick Mauricio off but made a high throw to third. Mauricio scored on the error to tie the game at 1-1.

Felipe Guerrero drove a double to centerfield with one out. Wes Clarkson singled to right field to score Guerrero. Clarkson went to second when the right fielder booted the ball. Cameron Hardwick sent a ground ball up the middle that was fielded by the shortstop but the first baseman failed to catch his throw. Clarkson scored on the error to give the Mules an insurance run. 

Friona’s leadoff batter in the bottom of the seventh inning singled to right field. Smith struck out the second batter for the first Friona out. The third batter singled to centerfield and Grey Johnson chased down the ball. 

The base runner at first rounded second and was digging for third base. Johnson made a perfect throw to third base and Danny Campos had the ball in his glove for the tag long before the runner arrived. A pop fly to Rejino at second ended the game. 

Shallowater scored in every inning except for the fifth. The Mustangs exploded for five runs in the third inning and cashed in on two Mule errors. 

Shallowater led 10-0 and the Mules needed 10 runs to extend the game when the bottom of the seventh inning started. Guerrero led off the bottom of the inning with a single to left field. Campos sliced a ground ball through the hole to put Mules at first and second with no outs. 

Pancho Elizalde almost took the pitcher’s head off with a line drive back up the middle that scored Guerrero. Clarkson sent a fly ball deep to right field to sacrifice home Campos for the Mules only two runs. 

The Mules have an open date Tuesday while the other teams are wrapping up the season. The Mules are scheduled to travel to Andrews to play the New Deal Lions in a practice game before entering the post season. 

The Bi-District opponent has yet to be determined but will come from District 1-3A.

Lady Mules vs Shallwater (4-21&24-2015)

Lady Mules vs Shallwater (4-21&24-2015)

The Lady Mule softball team is a group of fun-loving young ladies but they certainly proved to have a good memory this past week. The Shallowater Fillies had defeated the Lady Mules 11-0 in the first meeting of the two teams. The Fillies utilized a heavy dose of small ball to defeat the Lady Mules.

The Lady Mules were the defending two-time district champions and the loss to Shallowater was their first district defeat in 30 district games.

The rematch was held Tuesday in Shallowater and the Lady Mules won the game 7-3 to tie the district race. A seeding game was held Friday afternoon on the Lubbock Coronado Rosenow Field. The Lady Mules proved their win on Tuesday was no fluke and defeated the Fillies 4-3 for the second time in a week. 

The Lady Mules are the Champions of District 2-3A and number one seed. They have a bye in the Texas State Playoffs Bi-District round with only three teams playing in District 1-3A. The Lady Mules hosted the Bushland Lady Falcons Tuesday in a warm-up game.  A second warm-up game is scheduled for Friday in Ralls at 5:00 p.m.  

Shallowater took an early two-run lead in the third inning Tuesday with a single, a triple and a sacrifice fly.

Mireya Ruvalcaba hit a lead-off single to start the top of the fourth inning and advanced to second base on a throwing error by the shortstop. Adrianna Loya sacrificed Ruvalcaba to third and she scored on an error by the first baseman.

The Lady Mules loaded the bases with just one out in the top of the fifth inning. Reagan Reynolds lofted a sacrifice fly to deep left field. An error by the Filly left fielder allowed Reynolds to reach and Brooklyn Beall (running for Gabi Chavez) and Brittany Mendoza both scored on the error to put the Lady Mules on top to stay. 

Ruvalcaba slammed a line-drive double to right field to score Crystal Flores and Reynolds held at third. A. Loya sent a ground-ball single up the middle to score Reynolds. 

Miranda De Bruin pitched three infield ground balls to end the fifth inning. The Lady Mules led 5-2 after five complete innings of play.  

Neither team scored in the sixth inning.

Ruvalcaba’s bat stayed hot and she doubled to lead off the top of the seventh inning. She advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single to right field by A. Loya. De Bruin walked to advance A. Loya to second and she went to third on a sacrifice by Leti Loya. A. Loya scored the Lady Mules final run on a single to left field by Brittany Mendoza.  

A Lady Mule error and a single by Shallowater scored the Fillies final run. Reynolds snagged a line drive to center field for the final out of the game.

Friday afternoon the Lady Mules scored a run in each of the first three innings and never trailed in the seeding game. De Bruin lined a two-out double to the right field fence in the first inning. Brianna Barron took her place on second and scored a single to left centerfield by Mendoza.

A walk and two Lady Mule errors allowed the Fillies to score and tie the game at 1-1 after one inning. Ruvalcaba fielded a ground ball, took two steps, stepped on second base for a force out and threw to Gabi Chavez at first to complete the first of three Lady Mule double plays to end the first inning.  

Chavez was hit by a pitch with two outs in the top of the second inning. An error by the second baseman moved Chavez to second and gave the Lady Mules an extra out. Crystal Flores bounced a double off the right centerfield fence to score Chavez. 

De Bruin fielded a ground ball for the first Shallowater out in the bottom of the second inning. De Bruin moved under a high pop fly just out of the pitching circle for the second out. A walk allowed a Filly base runner before De Bruin stepped under a second pop fly to end the inning.

A. Loya ripped a line-drive double down the left field line to lead off the top of the third inning. She went to third on a passed ball. A. Loya scored on a ground ball to second base by Mendoza. The Lady Mules led 3-1 after two and a half innings of play. 

A walk to the lead-off Filly batter, a sacrifice, a Lady Mule error and a base hit cut the Lady Mule lead to 3-2 after three innings. 

The Lady Mules did not score in the fourth and fifth innings. 

Two Filly singles and a double in the bottom of the fifth inning tied the game at 3-3. Reynolds had to battle the sun and high wind in centerfield to make the catch to end the fifth inning. 

L. Loya blasted an opposite field home run over a 15-foot screen designed to protect cars in the parking lot in right field for what would prove to be the winning run. 

The lead-off Filly grounded out to De Bruin to start the bottom of the sixth inning. A walk put a runner at first base. Ruvalcaba charged toward home plate to snag a head-high soft-fly ball and fired to first to double up the runner at first to end the sixth inning.

The Lady Mules went in order in the top of the seventh inning. 

The first Filly in the bottom of the seventh inning grounded out to De Bruin in the pitching circle. The second Filly lined a ground ball back through the middle for a base hit. The third batter line out to Mendoza at third base. Mendoza made a perfect throw to first to double off the runner for the Lady Mule win. 

The Lady Mules will play the winner of Post and Kermit next weekend for the Area Championship.

MHS Golf @ RegI Trny (4-13,14,15&16-2015)

MHS Golf @ RegI Trny (4-13,14,15&16-2015)

Conner Harrison was the Mule representative to the Region I Golf Tournament as a medalist. He shot an 80 the first day of the tournament on the Baird Golf Course. He struggled the second day and shot an 87 for a total of 167. 

“Conner (Harrison) is just a junior and will be back next year,” said Muleshoe golf coach Carey Sudduth. “It is a tough golf course and he learned a lot.”

The Lady Mules competed as a team and finished near the middle of the pack at eighth out of sixteen teams. The Lady Mules finished the tournament with a team total of 820 strokes. They combined for a 422 strokes the first day but improved the second day with 398 shots. 

“The girls played the second two days and did a great job,” continued Sudduth. “All five of the kids shot their lowest round ever on at least one of the competition days.”

“The tournament was well run and we all had a good time while we were in Baird.”

Sydnie Sudduth saved her best rounds of the year for the Region I Tournament. She shot a first round 95 strokes and improved her second round with 92 shots for a total of 187 strokes. Sadie Sudduth completed the first round with 101 strokes. She cut three strokes off her first day score with 98 shots the second day for a total of 199 strokes. 

Emily Precure completed the first round with a 111 shots. She utilized what she had learned the first day to improve to an even 100 strokes on the second day for a total of 211 strokes. 

Miranda De Bruin and Gabby Chavez finished the first round with 115 strokes. The second day was a repeat of the first as both girls improved to an identical 108 shots for a total of 223 strokes each.

Area Track @ Randall (4-23-2015)

Area Track @ Randall (4-23-2015)

The Area Track Meet was scheduled to be held on the Randall High School track in Canyon, Friday, April 24. A scheduling change had to be made because of other spring activities and was moved up to April 23 and held on the Tulia High School track. 

The Lady Mules had five girls to advance and the Mules are sending one to the Region I Track Meet.

The Region I Track Meet will be held on the Abilene Christian University track the first two days May.

Ruby Andrade was the first Lady Mule to advance. She ran a bronze medal time of one minute and four seconds in the 400-meter dash. 

The final race of the day proved to be the best for the Lady Mules. Blanca Ramirez, Conley Niblett, Jazmin Arellano and Ruby Andrade won the silver medal in the 4x400-meter relay with a 4:17.41. 

It took a mad dash to the finish line by Cristian Paez in the 800-meter dash to place fourth with a time of 2:06.28 and earn a place in the Region I Meet. 

Shanice Rosas placed fifth in the discus with a throw of 89 feet and nine inches. Marilyn Melendez reached a height of 4-6 on her first attempt for sixth place in the high jump but could soar no higher. 

Dani Diaz cleared 7-6 on her second attempt in the pole vault for sixth place. 

Ramirez ran a fifth place time of 2:36.91 in the 800-meter run.

Jesse Leal saved his best vault of his short varsity season for the Area Meet. He cleared 11-0 on his first attempt for fifth place. 

The 4x200-meter relay team of Francisco Elizalde, Danny Campos, Tre Villa and Aaryn Ross placed sixth with a time of 1:35.77. 

Villa, Jesse Easily, Dagen Dunham and Campos ran a fifth place time of 3:35.26 in the 4x400-meter relay to end the meet. 

Those qualifying to advance will continue to train until leaving for Abilene.