WATCH: Weslaco HS celebrates softball state championship

WESLACO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Weslaco High School is celebrating its softball team with a pep rally this evening after the lady Panthers were the first Valley team to make it to the state championship and win.

On Saturday, the Weslaco softball team was down 9-3 entering the bottom half seventh inning of the UIL 6A State Championship game against Waco Midway.

The Lady Panthers cut the deficit to 9-7 when Andrea Ortiz stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded.

The sophomore shortstop/right fielder hit a grand slam to win the game 11-9 in walk-off fashion.

"The whole at-bat I told my coaches, I told my teammates, I told them, I got it, I got it," said Ortiz. "I kept repeating it, repeating it, I put in my head. And I knew I was gonna come through for my teammates because I have a certain love for them. And I had to do it for them."

Sophomore designated hitter/catcher Clarissa Mejia predicted Ortiz would deliver for the Lady Panthers.

"I called it," Mejia said. "I told one of my teammates, she's gonna hit a home run right now, she hit a home run. We all ran out and celebrated for her."

"It's just a moment that you just watch," added senior second baseman Mia Rodriguez. "And I'm so proud of her. I mean, she's worked so hard for this moment. And I'm so proud of her and as soon as the ball hit the bat, I was like, Oh my God, there's no way like there's no way this is going out. But it does. And we all got to celebrate and it's just a great way to finish this off."

The dramatic comeback victory was unlike anything longtime Weslaco head coach Mario Rodriguez had experienced before.

"You know, that's never happened to me in my 18 years of being the head coach here," said Rodriguez. "But we talked about earlier on the drive over here and they're like, you're right, Coach, you're right, this we get to choose, you know when we finish everybody believes in us. And the girls came through and that's often."

With the win, Weslaco became the first Rio Grande Valley softball team to win a UIL state championship.

"It was just so amazing," said senior first baseman Elizabeth Craig. "Just to get back to the Valley and represent the Valley and be and to win state and it's just so great and I'm just so happy that we're able to represent the Valley and I just hope we made the Valley proud."

Weslaco and Harlingen South, which lost the 5A state title game 8-0 against Melissa, became the first Valley teams to play for a state title in what turned out to be a historic season for Valley softball.