SAN BENITO — They were pushed in District 32-6A, but the San Benito Greyhounds pushed back even harder.
The Greyhounds finished district play perfect after defeating Weslaco High 4-2 on Tuesday night at San Benito High School.
“The girls have that never-die attitude,” San Benito head coach Elias Martinez said. “Regardless of the circumstances, whatever adversity they face, they are going to bounce back. Do not ever count us out because we are going to fight, scratch and whatever we have to do to win. If we do come up short, it was a heck of a game.”
The Panthers pulled within two runs in the top of the sixth. Romy Nunez drove in a run but hit into a 6-3-5 double play to end the inning, and in the seventh, a two-out rally was ended when Greyhounds starting pitcher Amira Rodriguez struck out the batter swinging.
“It went down to the wire,” Martinez said. “They fought to the bitter end and it could have gone either way, but that is our district.”
Greyhounds catcher JoJo Montes gave her team the lead with a blast over the left-field wall. The home run brought in three runners for a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning. Rodriguez drove in the run to tie the game on the previous at-bat.
Weslaco High pitcher Madelynn Cantu and Rodriguez had great games in the circle. Cantu was in trouble against the heart of the Greyhounds’ lineup, one of the best in the Rio Grande Valley, a couple of times, but looked solid besides that fourth inning.
Rodriguez was in a jam during the third inning. The bottom of the Panthers’ lineup loaded the bases, but Weslaco High hit into a 1-2-3 double play. Lola Reyes’ RBI single on the next at-bat was all the Panthers picked up in the inning.
Rodriguez had not pitched in nearly a month for the Greyhounds. The sophomore was nervous because of the layoff in the circle but wanted to show out, she said. Senior pitcher Emily Delgado is the usual starter, but having two pitchers available in the playoffs — especially in a series — is a huge boost.
Rodriguez, along with the defense behind her, pulled off some great plays throughout the game, including some nice double plays.
“It really plays out because we work on that a lot in practice,” Rodriguez said. “It shows whenever we were able to do it on the field and it makes us look pretty.”
Weslaco High and Los Fresnos end the season tied at 7-3 in District 32-6A. The Panthers and Falcons will play in a seeding game to decide second.
San Benito (30-3, 10-0) is on an 18-game winning streak heading into the playoffs, which begin next week.
“Love the purple and gold,” Martinez said. “San Benito is very proud of our community, and our girls are very proud to represent San Benito.”