KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
The time is arriving for District 32-6A to get going.
There is no secret that a 10-team district is unique and puts teams in a win-now mode each week, with little room for error.
San Benito heads into district play looking to defend its district title. Despite the season getting off to a slow start and being hampered by injuries, San Benito is playing better and has gotten healthy during the past few weeks.
On Tuesday, the ’Lady Hounds welcomed back seniors Nana Carrizales and Sarah Garcia, who missed time with injuries.
Carrizales took the circle and Garcia hit a home run in the duo’s return to the lineup against Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway.
“Having those two back, for one, it brings experience,” San Benito coach Denise Lira said. “Right now our team overall is young, and so having those back it brings us back some comfort and gives us more pieces to our puzzle.”
San Benito will begin its title defense Tuesday at home against Harlingen High. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Brownsville Hanna is coming off a 4-2 win over Brownsville Pace and will open district play at Brownsville Rivera, also at 6:30 p.m.
The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons will look to continue their offensive surge in their district opener at Harlingen South. The Lady Falcons are 13-8, and South sits 19-4.
“Our district is tough and we have to come in prepared each night,” Los Fresnos coach Traci Blackmon said. “We need to make sure we stay disciplined at the plate, especially when we see pitchers we know we can hit off of. A lot of the times the girls get too anxious and we will change our swing because we want to hit so bad.”
The matchup will present two of the deeper lineups in the area. Junior Reba Reyes, seniors Vicky Perales and Valarie Guevara, and sophomore Samantha Campos provide power and contact at the plate.
Their matchup with South will be one to keep an eye on, as South’s lineup also is deep with contact and power. Junior Kytana Muniz, freshman Iliana Saucedo and senior Krystal Gonzales all have the ability to leave the yard on one pitch.
One pleasant surprise Blackmon has seen is the club’s willingness to compete.
“The biggest surprise is how we have been competing against good teams,” Blackmon said. “I have seen some fight in them, and that is giving them a little confidence.”