KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN — Beating a team twice in the same season is never an easy task.
On Thursday, Harlingen High went toe to toe with crosstown rival Harlingen South and nearly pulled of the upset. However, the Lady Hawks used a four-run first inning then relied on their defense to hang on for a 4-2 win and complete the Bird Bowl sweep.
“Tonight’s game was tough and it goes back to how tough our district is,” said South skipper Elias Martinez. “We both brought our A-games tonight and this is what we want; we want to be battle tested. I would have liked to have scored more runs, sure, but we’re just glad to pick up the win and I’m proud of the girls. Harlingen is a tough team and much improved. My hat’s off to them.”
South’s offense came in the first inning. Krystal Gonzales reached on a fielder’s choice and later scored on a passed ball to give the Lady Hawks an early 1-0 lead.
After a base hit by Kytana Muniz and a walk from Alyssa Ledesma, sophomore slugger Christina Arellano belted a three-run homer that put the Lady Hawks up 4-0.
Despite the four-run first, Harlingen High sophomore hurler Zoe Rosas silenced the big bats of Harlingen South. Rosas pitched a complete game and retired 15 of the last 18 batters she faced. She allowed a single in the second inning and didn’t allow a hit the rest of the way.
The Lady Cards have now dropped two straight, but are still in the fourth spot in District 32-6A with a 4-4 record and will travel to Brownsville Rivera on Tuesday.
“The girls picked up the momentum and that is something they have been working on,” said Harlingen coach Nora Aguilar. “They kept the momentum up tonight and they have the physical side of it down. It’s the mental side of it; once we keep that up we will be good. Tonight they came out and had fun, I tell the kids it’s not about the result, it’s about the process. The kids came out and played well and I’m proud of them.”
Rosas counterpart, senior pitcher Kaitlynn De La Fuente, was also effective on Thursday. Her only blemish came in the sixth inning when Harlingen rallied for two runs. Emily Garcia added the second run on a RBI double with one out. De La Fuente finished the night with seven strikeouts and gave up two runs on five hits.
Up next for the Lady Hawks (8-0) is a home game against Los Fresnos (2-6) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“Our defense has been playing great all year long and Kaitlynn has been pitching great for us all year, too,” Martinez said. “Everyone in this district is getting better; this was a good game for us. If we can get a lead early on, we can then lean on our defense.”