HARLINGEN — San Benito needed to win its road District 32-6A contest against the Harlingen High Lady Cardinals, and it did so in dominant fashion.
The Lady Greyhounds are fighting for a playoff spot and finally put it all together to earn a 12-0 win Tuesday. San Benito had 15 hits and executed in all aspects of the game to stay in the postseason hunt.
“We’ve always known the girls have it, and finally seeing that burst of energy from them, seeing them produce runs whether on a base hit or bunt, have quality at-bats, it was awesome to see,” San Benito coach Denise Lira said. “We’re trying to keep that four-spot to get into the playoffs. They have to feel better about themselves as a team (after this win). It’s an awesome thing to see them pick each other up and stay excited through all seven innings.”
The Lady Greyhounds battled at the plate and forced lengthy at-bats. They spoiled pitches and fought back from 0-2 counts with frequent foul balls, and kept Harlingen High’s Audrie Sayas working overtime in the circle.
San Benito’s offense showed up early and often. The Lady Greyhounds scored two, three and two runs during the first three innings to take a 7-0 lead. Shortstop Julissa Garcia blasted a three-run home run over the left-field wall in the second inning to aid the early barrage.
Pitcher Emily Delgado had a big day on the diamond for the Lady Greyhounds. The sophomore tossed a complete game shutout with four strikeouts and just five hits. Delgado helped her cause with a 4-for-5 day at the plate, with three RBIs and two doubles.
“We’ve been talking about it, and we just want to take away wins from other teams and that’s what we did today,” Delgado said. “This is what we’ve been wanting. We put it together as a team and we came out successful. It’s a great feeling to win like this, so let’s continue to do that.”
The Lady Cardinals managed some good contact, but San Benito’s defense was stout. Center fielder Katelyn Garza had a busy day and handled it well, reading the ball well and racing across her coverage area to keep Harlingen High off the base paths.
“When my defense has my back in the circle I feel even better, so it was easier to go up there and do my best. I know they have my back, and it makes me feel better that even if I miss my spot by a little they’ll protect me,” Delgado said.
The Lady Greyhounds put on a clinic with situational hitting, completing sacrifice bunts and fly balls to move runners over or bring them home. Five different girls had multi-hit games.
While San Benito’s defense was solid and the bats were active, the Lady Cardinals struggled in both aspects. Harlingen High’s defense committed four errors and the offense failed to hit behind runners. Third baseman Lilly Rocha had the only multi-hit outing for the Lady Cardinals with two singles.
Sayas pitched 5 2/3 innings and struck out five before Madison Vargas entered in relief. Left fielder Andrea Salinas had a highlight-reel catch against the wall and second baseman Alexa Perez made a nice stop, but overall, Harlingen High’s defense couldn’t get to hard grounders and had some rogue throws to aid San Benito’s rout.
“If you get behind in counts, you set yourself up for trouble. Today our ace wasn’t necessarily as locked in as we hoped, and we had a few errors behind her,” Harlingen High coach Josh Silva said. “But they’re a good-hitting team. They executed with runners in scoring position. … What we teach is 12 quality at-bats, and they had their 12 tonight and we didn’t, and they won the game.”
The loss closed out a hard day for the Harlingen High community after the death of longtime former strength coach Monty Woodall.
“Coach Woodall was a legacy. When they talk about ‘Cardinal spirit never dies,’ he’s a man who lived it,” Silva said. “The community of Harlingen is mourning, and when we have to play our rival that night, it makes things difficult. He was definitely on our minds and the girls came out to play for him today, and we’re just sorry that we came up short.”
Silva said his team will learn from the loss to make it stronger as it continues to fight in the loaded district, aiming for the postseason.
“(District) 32-6A is a playoff game every night. Every time you come out to play, it’s a playoff atmosphere,” Silva said. “If we can take care of business and get into the playoffs, this team is capable of making a very big run and that’s what we’re going to keep instilling in our girls. Fight, because when the opportunity is there, I know we’ll be able to show what we’re really about.”
