'It was good for our kids to come through': Midland begins district title defense with 3-0 shutout of Odessa

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Wichita State commit Alex Aguilar helped guide the Midland Lady Bulldogs to a district-opener win over Odessa. | Twitter/Alex Aguilar

In the reigning District 2-6A champion Midland Lady Bulldogs’ 3-0 victory over Permian Basin and district rival Odessa Tuesday (March 8), incumbent district MVP Alex Aguilar demonstrated why she earned the accolade in 2021.

Aguilar made life difficult for the Lady Bronchos' bats to help Midland open 2-6A play with a win at home.

Aguilar collected 15 strikeouts and walked no one, starting the contest by fanning eight Odessa batters, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram.

The Lady Bronchos occasionally looked to get in the driver's seat with runners on base, but Aguilar pulled the plug each time.

The Midland Reporter-Telegram reported that the Wichita State commit overall sent 11 Odessa players back to their dugout.

The game was essentially a duel between Aguilar and her Lady Bronchos counterpart, Meghan Gattis. 

Gattis struck out seven straight Lady Bulldogs, but a single by Midland's Sadie Ryan in the third inning gave way to the Lady Bulldogs' first score of the game, a Yesenia Rodriguez RBI single, the Permian Basin publication reported.

“We had a clutch hit that we needed that put us on the board," Midland head coach Shawnda Vines told the Midland Reporter-Telegram. "Once you get that run on the board, you kind of feel a lot better, especially in a close ballgame like this. Neither one of us had been able to put anybody across for (2 ½ innings). It was good for our kids to come through and have that inning right there.”

Nalaney Paul knocked the go-ahead inside-the-park home run for Midland in the fourth inning, pushing the Lady Bulldogs' lead to 3-0, the eventual final score.

Midland has a non-district game against Abilene Cooper on Friday (March 11) at 5 p.m. on the same field, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram.