BROWNSVILLE — Harlingen High is back in the softball playoffs after a seven-year hiatus.
The Cardinals did not need to beat the Brownsville Rivera Raiders in a District 32-6A meeting Friday night in Brownsville to make the playoffs, but they held off the Raiders 10-6 to pick up the win.
“It is amazing,” Harlingen High head coach Kevin Ledesma said about his team returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. “It’s a testament to what the girls have been able to do.
“To be able to see the seniors and everybody that his been part of the program the last couple of years just be rewarded. It did not happen overnight, we are super proud of these girls. It is awesome to be able to coach some girls that are very coachable,” Ledesma said.
Senior Athena Linnartz scored and pitcher Madison Vargas drove in a run to help the Cardinals take a 10-6 lead in the top of the seventh inning after the Raiders cut the Cardinals’ lead to one run after being down 7-1 early.
Brownsville Rivera’s Ariel Allen and Hazel Gonzalez drove in runs to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 7-6 in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Cardinals did most of their damage during the third and fourth innings. Zuelly Cruz had a bases-clearing single in the third, then Lilly Rocha drove in two with a double and Vargas drove in a run right after in the fourth to go up 7-1.
“We all played together,” Rocha said. “We all know how we work, we were in sync — it was a great performance.”
Rocha, like other seniors on the team, is reveling in the experience of playing postseason softball with their teammates. The team has a great bond and chemistry, Rocha said. Rocha has seven home runs on the season and has signed to play at McLennan Community College in Waco.
Harlingen High clinched after Brownsville Hanna lost Tuesday. The Cardinals came into Friday night with three wins, two of them off the Eagles, who had only one win.
Harlingen High finishes the season against Los Fresnos at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home. The Cardinals have four wins and cannot move up from their fourth seed.
“We do not know if we are going to play a tune-up game,” Ledesma said about finishing the season against Los Fresnos. “We always want to steal one if we can, and go and do things to teams that are great in our district. It is going to help us prepare for the playoffs.”
Brownsville Rivera faces Brownsville Hanna in the last game of the season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Brownsville Hanna. The Raiders had a great non-district season, but could not pull-out close ones against Harlingen High and Brownsville Hanna.
The Cardinals did by sweeping the Brownsville schools in District 32-6A and are now off to the playoffs.