The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons Senior Little League softball team is heading east as it moves into uncharted waters for the program.
After claiming the Texas West Championship in a hard-fought match against Central Texas, the Lady Falcons earned a spot in the regional round where they will face teams from four different states for a chance to qualify for the Senior League Softball World Series in Delaware.
This accomplishment marks the first time in the Los Fresnos Little League program history that a team has reached the Senior League Softball Southwest Regional Tournament.
“Many of the girls on the team have been playing together since they were 9 years old,” said outfielder Idalee Ibarra. “We had had two previous opportunities to play for the state championship but, unfortunately, we came up short on both occasions. This year weren’t going to let anything get in our way and we proved we were worthy enough by winning state.
“This win also meant much more to the team because we wanted to complete a dream for our coach, David Loera, who passed away two years ago. He was our head coach since we started playing this sport and the lessons he taught us still lives in us today.”
The team will play two pool games to determine seeding for the tournament. Should the team win, it would have a chance to play for the regional championship if they are seeded in a No.1 or No. 2 position.
The road to the Little League State Championship began when the Lady Falcons defeated Corpus Christi Padre in the sectional round in Corpus Christi in a sweep of a double elimination game on July 2.
At the state tournament, Los Fresnos played a familiar opponent in Central Texas, which they defeated in the first round 5-4. However, Central Texas fought back from the consolation bracket to play Los Fresnos in the championship round.
While Central Texas did come back to beat Los Fresnos 5-3 in the first game, it still needed to defeat the Lady Falcons a second time due to it being a double elimination format.
With the help of a strong defense, Los Fresnos came back and both teams stayed tied after seven innings of play in the elimination game. In the eighth inning, Los Fresnos’ defense was able to hold Central Texas, setting itself up for a chance to score the winning run.
On the final play of the game, with bases loaded, Shivani Garcia hit a line drive to center field to drive home the winning run. The final score was 4-3.
The girls now move on to the regional round which will be held in Vidalia, Louisiana, where they will face teams from Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Louisiana.
