SAN ANTONIO — The San Benito Lady Hounds overcame the heat and rallied for a 5-4 Game 2 win to sweep Eagle Pass out of the playoffs and advance to the Class 6A regional semifinals for the first time since 2015.
The Lady Hounds will now meet a familiar RGV adversary in New Braunfels Canyon sometime next week.
“This series, the girls showed true resilience,” said San Benito coach Denise Lira. “They showed determination and they fought to get through some tough innings. The kids have truly grown so much and I feel like one of our best qualities is to fight.”
Tied at three heading into the top of the seventh inning, both San Benito and Eagle Pass exchanged leads. But a two-out double by Sarah Garcia sparked a Lady Hounds’ rally as Garcia scored the go-head run after a throwing error by EP’s catcher allowed her to score from second. AJ Jasso later drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Deztiny Hernandez and gave the Lady Hounds a 5-3 lead.
“Throughout the week, there are off days and then there are good days, which we’re just on. But that’s how it is with every team,” senior Joanna Gonzalez said. “When we were down, we continued to fight. We take it one out at a time and we got it done.”
Early on, however, it was Eagle Pass that got out to a quick 1-0 lead thanks to a solo home run by Alexandra Martinez. But in the top of the second, Jasso belted a no-out double over the center field wall that gave the Lady Hounds a 2-1 advantage.
Jasso was sharp at the plate going 2 for 2 with a double, a walk and two runs scored. Jasso, who is a junior, is in the Sweet 16 for the first time in her career, but is no stranger to the fourth round as her older sister, Amber Jasso, was a part of the 2015 state semifinalist squad.
“It’s a great feeling to make the Sweet 16; it hasn’t hit me yet,” Jasso said. “My sister made it and now I can say that I made it, too. It’s a crazy feeling to be here. We have all worked hard to get to this point.”
Junior pitcher Nana Carrizales shined in the circle for the Lady Hounds. Carrizales threw 6.2 innings and whiffed seven batters. From the second through the fourth innings, Carrizales retired nine of the 11 batters she faced and had her off-speed pitches working.
Eagle Pass rallied in the final inning and scored on a bases-loaded walk with two outs. Carrizales recorded the first two outs of the frame then Sarah Garcia came in and struck out the final batter to seal the win.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of our team,” Lira said. “Over the season they have worked through obstacles and have worked on their mental game along with improving their skills on the field. We’re going to enjoy this win then get back to work on Monday to prepare for another tough opponent next week.”
