FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer
CORPUS CHRISTI — It was a roller coaster of emotions on Saturday as the San Benito Lady Greyhounds lost Game 2 of the Region IV-6A final 4-1 to the New Braunfels Canyon Cougaretts, but came back to win Game 3, 5-2, solidifying their place in the UIL state tournament for the second time in school history.
When the time came for someone to step up, pitcher Crystal Castillo was the one everybody looked to.
When a Lady Greyhounds defense loaded with youth made some errors, Castillo bailed them out.
When she sustained an injury in Game 1 on Friday and head coach Elias Martinez announced that another pitcher would start Saturday, Castillo said: “Nope I want the ball.”
Coach Martinez didn’t have to think twice about it.
“Crystal is my ultimate fighting champion because she’s been hurt since last night and she battled through her injuries,” said Martinez. “When I told her we were going to pick someone else (to pitch Saturday) she said, ‘It’s my team. I’m a senior and I want to go down fighting,’”
Up 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 3, all the Lady ’Hounds had to do was close out the game.
However, Canyon had other ideas and first baseman Nicole Flitton started things off by getting a base hit.
With Flitton on first, Castillo struck out Yasmin Perez for the first out of the inning, easing some pressure off the defense.
Next center fielder Angelica Camacho (1-of-4) put the ball in play and reached first base on an error.
With runners now on first and second, Castillo picked up another strike out to put San Benito one out away.
But Kaitlyn Delee (3 for 3) walked to load the bases for Canyon with freshman phenom Brook Vestal coming up.
With the crowd on the edge of their seats, Vestal blasted a ball directly to second baseman Melanie Gonzalez for the third and final out.
“No lead is safe in softball,” said Martinez. “There have been games that we’ve been up by 10 and they’ve come back, but that’s the nature of the beast, and that’s the beauty of it because no game is safe.
“We thought about walking one run in because that’s how much respect we had for her (Vestal).”