First Baseman Angie Noriega (above) and the Lady Brahma varsity softball team are playoff bound after defeating three consecutive opponents in as many days this week; Calallen (6-2) on Wednesday, Flour Bluff (3- 2) on Tuesday and Laredo LBJ (8-0) on Monday. H.M. King finishes its season in second place in District 31- 4A with a 12-2 record. (Photo by Rey Sifuentes Jr.) Playoffs are not wishful thinking for H.M. King High School’s varsity softball team, they are an expectation. The Lady Brahmas (16- 5 overall, 12-2 in district) vanquished three straight opponents this past Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and punched their ticket to the 2010 postseason by finishing second in District 31-4A.

First up was Laredo LBJ whom the Lady Brahmas blanked 8-0 on Monday.

Marivel Mireles went three for three at the plate (including a double), batted in two runs and stole a base. Julia Sanford went two for three, brought in a run and stole three bases. Kimberly Bunch went two for three, batted in a run and stole a base. Diana Castillo went two for three (including a double), brought in a run and stole a base. Emily Ochoa went two for four (including a triple), batted in a run and stole a base.

Getting past Flour Bluff, on Tuesday, was a harder gauntlet but H.M. King still prevailed 3-2 in eight innings.

Sanford (2 of 4) popped a home run and a triple. Stephanie Lozano went four for four (including a triple), batted in a run and stole a base. Desiree Ayarzagoitia went one for three and stole a base.

The Flour Bluff game was also a brief comeback for Constance Brandenburg who is enduring a hip injury.

“We decided to try her out nice and easy for three innings and then pull her out,” Head Coach Nilda Garcia said. “We went the three innings and she told me her injury was bothering her so we pulled her out right there. As of now, the trainers are still working with her.”

Fortunately, the Lady Brahmas have adapted and are being led on the mound by Emily Ochoa .

“I always stress how we are one unit as a team that works together,” Garcia said. “When I make picks for the team, I look for players who can play more than one spot so that when an injury like this does happen we are able to adjust and these girls have done a wonderful job of that.”

The Lady Brahmas finished off this week’s threeheaded monster by beating Calallen 6-2 on Wednesday.

Ayarzagoitia smacked a homer while going three for four and batting in three runs. Sanford went three for four (including a pair of doubles) and brought in a pair of runs. Angie Arredondo went two for four and stole a pair of bases. Ochoa went one for four (including a triple) and batted in a run.

H.M. King will commence its post-season against Mercedes (who was scheduled to play its District 32-4A finale on Friday, April 23) in the bi-district round sometime next week.