CORPUS CHRISTI — Harlingen South’s playoff run came to an end Saturday afternoon after a 12-4 Game 2 loss in their Region IV-6A semifinal series against San Antonio Brennan.
Unlike last week when the Lady Hawks were able to rally from a 0-1 hole to advance in the playoffs, this time it was the Lady Bears who overcame an early 3-1 deflect to complete the series sweep and move forward.
The Lady Bears will now face the winner between Weslaco and New Braunfels Canyon in the regional finals next week.
The final score may have looked rough, but it didn’t do justice to the valiant effort the Lady Hawks put forth, said South head coach Elias Martinez.
“Our girls played their hearts out,” Martinez said. “I’m proud of their effort. We couldn’t have asked for a better effort and the girls fought to the bitter end. They (Brennan) didn’t get a rally until the last inning and that just shows how tough our girls are.”
Senior Ashley Reyna clubbed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning that gave South an early 2-0 lead.
However, Brennan cut the lead in half on an RBI single by Christina Michel in the top of the second. South countered with a run of its own that gave the Lady Hawks at 3-1 advantage after two.
In both the third and fourth inning, the Lady Bears capitalized on a pair of miscues. In the third, they tied the game at three off a blooper that fell into shallow left field and in the fourth, an errant throw by third baseman Caitlyn Hejl allowed the Lady Bears to take the lead at 5-3. Both runs scored with two outs on the board.
On a positive note, the Lady Hawks’ offense put the ball in play much better than in Game 1 on Friday.
Reyna, who has had quite the postseason, knocked in a run on an RBI double that got the Lady Hawks within one run at 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Unfortunately, that was as close as the Lady Hawks got as the Lady Bears plated six in the seventh inning to put the game completely out of reach.
The RBI double by Reyna was the only run South managed to capitalize on with runners in scoring position. In the third and sixth inning, South had runners on first and second, but failed to put the ball in play.
Despite the series sweep, Harlingen South will lose only Reyna, who played first base, shortstop Jasmin Gallegos and third baseman Daniella Cavazos this offseason.
Meanwhile, pitcher Daisy Gallegos, catcher Krystal Gonzales and center fielder Kaitylnn De La Fuente will return next season, along with the freshman trio of Kayla Rogers, Kytana Muniz and Kelsey Rivera.
“We’re a young team and we have a lot to be proud of, and have plenty to build on,” Martinez said. “The future is bright for Lady Hawks softball.”
