LA FERIA — With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, La Feria’s Railee Carvajal crushed the first pitch she saw between center and right field to give the Lionettes a 5-4 victory in their bi-district series opener against the Zapata Lady Hawks.
“I missed a few grounders, and that is what made the score 4-4,” she said. “I knew I needed it, she gave me it and I ripped it. I work very hard, I play travel, I needed this. This is a big win. We will see them at their house, and we are feeling pretty confident.”
La Feria started the game strong with a three-run first inning. La Feria pitcher Beanka Galan drove in the first run of the game with a double. Hayaris Jimenez scored, and Bella Quiroz drove in the next run with a shot up the middle.
Carvajal’s RBI in the second gave La Feria the 4-0 lead. Beanka Galan was dealing in the circle early, quickly moving through the Zapata lineup.
Zapata bounced back, starting in the fifth inning by small-balling their way to the first run. During the sixth inning they tied the game at 4. Helena Garza knocked in two runs after hitting a liner to the pitcher. The ball died in the infield, allowing two runs to score.
Lady Hawks pitcher Claudia Garza knocked in the next run. Garza settled down in the circle after struggling early. Both pitchers worked quickly out of innings to send the game to extra innings.
Garza only needed five pitches and a couple of minutes to retire the Lionettes in the bottom of the eighth inning. Galan settled down after the fifth and sixth innings, easily moving through extra innings.
“I am extremely proud of these girls,” Lionettes coach Sarah Torres said. “Especially the way they have worked this season and continue to work. We were up and we had a little bit of a slipup, but the girls stayed strong, worked together as a team and came out with the win.”
On Saturday, La Feria will head to Zapata for the next game in the series.
