By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
It took one big inning to lift the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles to victory Friday night at Hanna.
The home team sent 12 batters to the plate and scored all six of its runs during the bottom of the fourth. Seven different players reached base in the inning and the Lady Eagles earned a 6-0 win over the Harlingen South Lady Hawks.
After reaching base twice as a team during the first three innings, Hanna pitcher Juliette Gonzales led off the fourth with a sharp double to deep left-center field, setting the tone for the frame.
Sarah Chacon then entered the game as a pinch runner for Gonzalez. Itxel Martinez followed the double by reaching second base after an throw by Harlingen South shortstop Ashley Galvan landed in the dugout. The error brought Chacon home for the first run of the game.
The next two batters were retired. Cassie Abrego struck out swinging on an full count and Rebekah Galarza hit a sacrifice ground ball to second base, scoring Martinez, who reached third on a wild pitch.
Harlingen South pitcher Mankia Coronado then issued a two-out walk to Sabrina Fernandez, and Lady Hawks coach Debbie Esparza elected to bring in Karina Abrego to finish the inning.
However, the next six Hanna batters also managed to reach base. Britany Rey hit a ground ball to third that advanced the runner. Lauren Rivera hit an RBI-single to center field — her second hit of the night — and Salome McManus reached via a walk.
Sammy Ibarra hit a ball hard to left field that slipped past the defender and cleared the bases. It was 6-0 in favor of the Lady Eagles when they loaded the bases yet again.
“The game was going back and forth at 0-0,” Hanna coach Rey Lerma said. “I told the girls, ‘This is a game where luck plays a big part, but we’ve go to make our own luck, and we need to put the ball in play.’
“Their left fielder made an error, and then we got some timely hits. I think that was what got us over.”
Walks by Gonzales and Martinezwere enough for Esparza to bring Coronadoback into the game. She recorded the final out of the lengthy fourth when Cassie Abrego hit a chopper to the pitcher’s mound.
“We just lost focus, I think,” Esparza said. “I changed pitchers to see if it would mess them up because they’d already seen her twice, but the other pitcher came in and she wasn’t on tonight so I had to put the other one back in.”
Not to be overshadowed by the explosive fourth inning was Gonzales’ pitching performance. She pitched a complete game for Hanna, allowing five hits, zero runs and notching 14 strikeouts.
She also struck out the side on two separate occasions. Once in the fifth, making it a short response by the Lady Hawks after the big fourth inning, and again in the seventh to end the game.
“It was a great pitching performance by Juliette,” Lerma said, “but this was a total team effort, and that’s all I ask for.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.