KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — Entering the season, Harlingen South needed a third baseman and needed to find another arm in the circle. Freshman Iliana Saucedo and sophomore Alexa Saucedo were plugged in right away.
It didn’t take long for the Lady Hawks to find their answer, and if there was any question on how well the two have fit in, Friday night put those questions to bed.
Against Harlingen High, the South offense was crisp and displayed power and speed.
Harlingen South used a nine-run second inning and a seven-run fourth inning as South crushed rival Harlingen High 17-0 in four innings.
Behind the runs came the power surge from the Saucedos, who each collected homers.
The sisters went a combined 3-for-6 at the plate with three runs and five RBIs.
On the night, South collected 17 hits on 17 runs. Kytana Muniz went 2-for-3 at the plate and hit a walkoff, three-run homer that sealed the win in the fourth. Kayla Rogers continued to swing a hot bat, as she went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, and Christina Arellano also went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored.
“As the more games you play, the better you become,” Harlingen South coach Elias Martinez said. “In our situation that is what is happening, we are hitting and seeing the ball well, and we are playing solid defense and pitching, and Tuesday will be the ending of the first half of district play and we will see where we all stand. But I like where we are at right now and, of course, there is always room for improvement.”
Born in San Antonio, the Saucedo sisters moved to Niceville, Fla., when they were children and then to Harlingen earlier this year. Both their parents attended Harlingen South. The Saucedos have found themselves a home and, despite their youth, the two have helped make an impact on a deep and talented club.
“We have a lot of family here and our parents have friends here, and they both went to Harlingen South and we didn’t really know anyone at school,” Iliana Saucedo said. “We always wanted to be here because it is a part of our family, and it does feel like this was just meant to be.”
The second inning was one to remember for the Saucedo family.
After back-to-back RBIs from Krystal Gonzales and Muniz, Iliana Saucedo launched a three-run moon shot that put South ahead 7-0. After a base hit from Alyssa Ledesma, Alexa Saucedo crushed a two-run homer over the scoreboard.
“I really don’t have an approach. I try not to think because then you get overwhelmed,” Iliana Saucedo said. “I just smile when I hit it because I’m so happy, nothing really is going through my mind.”
“Hitting a homer was the last thing I expected to happen,” Alexa Saucedo said. “It was a great time to hit it, and especially that my sister just hit one, I was able to follow up with a homer at the same time.”
Harlingen South improves to 4-0 in district play with one game remaining in the first half against Brownsville Hanna on Tuesday. The second round of district play begins next Friday.
Harlingen High (0-4 district) continues to look for its first district win as it takes on Brownsville Rivera on Tuesday.
“Both girls are very coachable, and they will do whatever it takes to help the team,” Martinez said of the sisters. “Which is great, and they came in at the perfect time for us, and they both have power and great arms. For me as a coach, it is just awesome.”