LOS FRESNOS — The District 32-6A season ended on a high note for the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles.
With their game against the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons tied at four runs apiece after seven innings, the Lady Eagles piled on five runs during the top of the eighth. The barrage earned Hanna a 9-5 victory Friday.
Britany Rey and Itxel Martinez each led off the extra inning with singles, and Cassie Abrego, who had three hits in the game, drove in Rey for the go-ahead run with a single to right field.
A throwing error by Los Fresnos shortstop Maya Guevara on a ground ball by Salome McManus allowed Martinez to score the game-winning run from third.
“I just feel fantastic for (the team),” Hanna coach Rey Lerma said. “They’re the ones that went out and did it, so I’m very happy. They stayed together as a team.”
The Lady Eagles continued their aggressive approach at the plate against Marisela Gaytan, who replaced Vivikah Pesina on the mound during the sixth inning.
Three additional Hanna players — Abrego, McManus and Lauren Rivera — scored to give the Lady Eagles a 9-4 lead.
“We were wanting to make good, solid contact,” Lerma said. “We just wanted to put the ball in play. We just felt that if we made them make plays, that it was to our advantage.”
The Lady Falcons attempted to respond during the bottom half of the inning. After the first two batters were retired, Samantha Padilla was hit by a pitch and scored a run after Marisela Gaytan popped up to shallow center field. The popup induced a collision and was dropped by a trio of Hanna players.
Amber Dutton then drew a walk and Pesina was hit by a pitch. Guevara stepped to the plate representing the tying run but popped up to foul territory to end the game.
“Maybe it was a blessing in disguise,” Los Fresnos coach Traci Blackman said. “We’re starting playoffs, so maybe we’ll get all that out and get back to reality.
“They played a great game, Juliette pitched a great game, they hit the ball well and we left too many runners on base. We had a couple errors and it cost us runs, and you just can’t play like that.”
Los Fresnos took an early lead during the first inning. Guevara reached base via a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Victoria Loa. The bunt was fielded, thrown to first for the out and then thrown to third, but Guevara scored following an errant throw.
Hanna gained the lead during the third inning when McManus, Sabrina Fernandez and Sammy Ibarra each scored to give the Lady Eagles a 3-1 lead.
The home team regained the lead after Vicky Rodriguez scored one run during the fourth, and Pesina and Guevara added a pair in the fifth to give their team a 4-3 edge.
However, with the game winding down, Abrego delivered the first of her two big hits on the night. With one out in the sixth, she tied the game on a long solo home run to left-center field. The tying run eventually forced extra innings, where she tied the game with an RBI-single.
The win moved Hanna, now with a 7-7 district record, into a three-way tie for fourth place in 32-6A with Harlingen High and Brownsville Veterans Memorial. The tiebreaker format has yet to be determined.
Los Fresnos finished with an 11-3 district record and is in sole possession of second place.
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.