By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

The Porter Cowboys showed why they are a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.

Alexis Armendariz recorded a hat trick during the second half as the Cowboys opened up the throttle in the final 40 minutes to cruise to a 7-1 victory over the Laredo Cigarroa Toros in an area-round game Thursday at Brownsville Sports Park.

When Enrique Soto corralled a pass 12 yards from the Toros’ goal and had time to place a line drive past the right side of Cigarroa goalkeeper Jesus Cruz, the Cowboys seemed to have set the tone early.

With 33:46 still remaining in the first half, Porter’s 1-0 lead looked as though it would grow rapidly. The remainder of the half featured a lopsided possession battle in favor of the Cowboys, but they squandered scoring opportunities and went into intermission with one goal in a tie game.

“The first half we told the kids, ‘If we have opportunities in the first few minutes, we have to take advantage of it,’ and we didn’t,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “We had clear opportunities, and we just couldn’t capitalize. We told the kids, ‘The difference right now is we look tired. If we get opportunities like (we had in the first half) again, we’ve got to capitalize. (Cigarroa) is going to gain more confidence and the game is going to be tougher.’

“The second half looked like the way Porter has been playing.”

That half turned out exactly how Espitia hoped. Armendariz reignited the Cowboys’ offense when he buried a bicycle kick in the back of the Toros’ goal after fewer than three minutes had elapsed.

Less than one minute later, David Pacheco converted a penalty kick with a low line drive to the right of Cruz, who dove left.

The way Porter responded after halftime was Espitia’s biggest takeaway from the game.

“(Cigarroa was) being very physical, so we had to adapt,” he said. “The referee was allowing a lot of physical play. I think we did better in the second half, and the score reflects that.”

Porter continued to pour on the offense, and Cigarroa failed to find an answer. Several additional minutes of sustained pressure by the Cowboys resulted in another goal by Armendariz on Reyes Saldivar’s crossing pass.

Armendariz tallied his final goal and Porter’s fifth on a low penalty kick that beat Cruz, who this time guessed correctly but failed to reach the ball.

With 9:14 remaining in the game, Ricardo Vidal drilled home a header for the Cowboys’ sixth goal. Vidal again scored with 1:56 left to complete Porter’s rout.

“Our first half was good,” Cigarroa coach Jose Castillo said. “Our second half, when they hit us with that second (goal) and we got the penalty, it got really out of control. We have a young team and I had trouble keeping them under control, they kind of lost it there a little bit.”

The Cowboys advance to the regional quarterfinal round to play against District 32-5A and crosstown rival Pace. The Vikings defeated Corpus Christi Moody 3-1 days after upsetting Valley View in the bi-district round. The time, date and location of the game has yet to be determined.

“It’s a Brownsvilleteam,” Espitia said. “They know how to play. They know soccer. We’ve played (Pace) twice already, but it’s going to be totally different. There’s a lot on the line, and we expect a very strong team. They’re motivated. They defeated Valley View, so we’re going to have to take them seriously.”

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers fought their way back to tie a game that had gotten out of hand early but failed to seal the deal.

After allowing four runs during the first inning, Brownsville Veterans nearly completed a comeback but ultimately lost to the Harlingen South Lady Hawks 6-4 in nine innings Tuesday night in Brownsville.

Anahi Anaya scored the winning run on a wild pitch during the top of the ninth, and Kaitlynn de la Fuente scored an insurance run for the Lady Hawks on a single by Ariel de la Fuente. Brownsville Veterans didn’t respond.

“We’re young, we’ve got a lot of sophomores and freshmen, and for them to keep their composure it says a lot for the growth of out team,” Brownsville Veterans coach Ray Cardenas said. “They battled, they pushed through, they didn’t panic and we got out of a lot of innings. We hate to lose the game, but the way they battled, I’m proud of them.”

The Lady Chargers were retired in order in the ninth by freshman pitcher Monkica Coronado, who had been brought into the game during the seventh inning as a replacement for McKenzie Wiley.

“(Brownsville) Veterans had seen (Wiley) for four different at-bats, and when you see someone that much you really start to get your timing down,” Esparza said. “I felt like I needed to make a change and go with the freshman, and she did a great job.”

The Lady Hawks’ quick start began with them recording four hits between the first five batters. The hits were accompanied with a pair of errors, and South took advantage. The Lady Hawks converted their opportunity into four first-inning runs, but Brownsville Veterans pitcher Cassie Valdez did not allow them score again until the ninth inning.

“(Cassie) is seasoned. She pitches a lot in the summer. She’s very competitive. She’s a very gifted pitcher, and there’s great thingsto come of her in the future,” Cardenassaid. “A lot of freshmen would get down 4-0 to a Harlingen South team and have issues. She was up to the challenge, and I was proud of the way she handled it all the way until the very end.”

The Lady Chargers responded during their half of first and slowly began to chip away at the Lady Hawks’ lead.

Rheanna Gomez hit a one-out double to left field to spark Brownsville Veterans’ offense. Sarah Sandoval followed with a walk, and Darlena Galvan hit a bloop-single to right. The Lady Chargers plated their first run on a fielder’s choice by Thalia Perez that scored Gomez.

Brownsville Veterans trimmed South’slead to two in the second. Harley Morales hit a leadoff double and was eventually brought home by a Richeson fielder’s choice.

Brownsville Veterans then tied the game in the sixth when, with two outs and GiGi Richeson on third, Gomez struck out on a wild pitch but ended up safe at first, allowing Richeson to reach home.

“Defensively, I think we might have had one error that allowed the tying run on the throwback to the first baseman on the strikeout,” Esparza said. “There were a couple nice hits that (Brownsville ) Veterans got that we might have misplayed. They were good hits, it’s not like they were errors.

“(Brownsville) Veterans is a well-coached team. They’ve come a long way since years past. They do a really good job. I knew tonight was going to be a really tough game.”

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

It was only a matter of time, but Andres Salgado seized his opportunity to lead the Pace Vikings as a starter.

When the Vikings’ 2013-14 campaign was coming to a close, key injuries left their team virtually depleted.

Recognizing the necessity to stock his team’s roster during the final stretch, Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez called up some players from the freshman squad to fill bench roles and play limited minutes. One of those freshmen was Andres Salgado.

Salgado rarely saw the court near the end of last year, but Ramirez knew he’d found somebody who would have an immediate impact on his varsity roster this year.

“He was on the freshman team for most of the (2013-14) season,” Ramirez said. “We knew he could play, but he just needed more playing time. And we knew if we put him on the varsity, he just wasn’t going to play. We were 1-12 with three games to go and we were looking at next year.”

Following his short stint on varsity as a freshman, Salgado wasted no time leaving his mark on the Pace squad this year.

As a first-year starter, he averaged 14.4 points per game, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.1 steals as the Vikings finished second in District 32-5A. His effort has earned him the RGVSports.com 2015 All-Valley Boys Basketball Newcomer of the Year award.

“There is no amount of words to describe how much this means to me,” Salgado said. “I knew coming to Pace that I wanted to prove people wrong not just as an individual but as a team.”

In fact, Salgado and the Vikings may have proved many wrong. On the heels of last season’s 2-14 district record, Pace’s second-place finish (11-3 in District 32-5A) was quite a turnaround.

Ramirez recalled the influence the young Salgado had among his more experienced teammates.

“We kind of anchored our offense around him because he’s so confident when it comes to shooting the ball. He always seems to find the ball, the ball always seems to find him,” Ramirez said. “Even the seniors and juniors responded to what he did. I’ve never seen that happen in my 20 years. It’s usually the younger kids looking to the seniors.”

As a team leader, Salgado is adamant about sharing the accolade with his teammates, recognizing their importance in his success this season.

“I learned the real definition of the words ‘team’ and ‘brothers,’” he said. “I knew I could count on them for everything.”

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

Despite the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons holding a lead over the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles throughout their game, the Lady Eagles didn’t go away easily.

The Lady Falcons earned a 6-2 win after neutralizing a bases-loaded situation during the bottom of the seventh Friday night at Hanna.

“I thought we did a good job,” Los Fresnos coach Traci Blackman said. “It’s always nice to be challenged a little bit to see how we’re going to adjust to things and how we’re going to react, and I thought we did a good job of staying in control and we didn’t let that get to us.”

Los Fresnos scored its first run of the game when leadoff batter Maya Guevara hit an inside-the-park home run. Hanna right fielder Briana Ramirez initially stepped toward the infield but watched the ball sail over her head. Her throw to the cutoff man was mishandled, and Guevara galloped around the bases to give the Lady Falcons a 1-0 lead.

The winning run for Los Fresnos was delivered via a two-run single from Samantha Padilla during the top of the fourth inning that brought Melanie Loa and Vicky Rodriguez home. Before Padilla stepped to the plate, Blackman pulled her aside.

“I told her that I believed in her and to go out and find her pitch,” she said.

Hanna responded, though, and tallied a pair of runs during the following inning. Rebekah Galarza hit a leadoff single to center field, and Britany Rey followed with a double to center.

After Lauren Rivera hit a line drive to the shortstop, Vanessa Gracia was safe after a ground ball hit to first base was bobbled. The error scored Galarza from third. Salome McManus next hit a single to left field to score Rey.

The Lady Eagles’ offense was dormant for four innings. And even though they put two runs on the scoreboard, Hanna coach Rey Lerma wasn’t satisfied.

“I’m a little frustrated because some of the things I expected us to do, we lacked on,” he said. “(Marisela Gaytan) is one of the better pitchers in the district and they’re one of the better teams, but I felt it could have been a much closer game if we played to our potential.

“I expected our hitting to be a little bit better. We didn’t start hitting until late. I think we were trying a little too hard early on, and our hitting didn’t come through.”

Los Fresnos added three additional runs during the sixth inning to extend their lead to 6-2.

Stephanie Perez hit a leadoff single and stole second base, and Rodriguez drew a walk on five pitches. Padilla next reached on a bunt that resulted in a throwing error, allowing Perez and Rodriguez to score. Padilla then crossed home plate after a single by Gaytan.

Hanna threatened in the seventh when they loaded the bases. After the first two batters were retired, Lauren Rivera drew a walk, Gracia hit a single to right field and McManus reached on a ground ball to shortstop.

However, the Lady Eagles failed to drive home a run when Sammy Ibarra popped out to first base to end the game.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

There is a first time for everything.

Three members of the Lopez boys powerlifting team — Alex Berrones, Rogelio Pulido and Danny Diaz — will represent the Lobos in the state meet for the first time in school history Saturday.

They will each look to improve upon the Region 5 Division 1 totals that earned them a trip to Abilene.

Lopez coach Hugo Ramirez is proud of the growth he’s seen from his state-caliber athletes, a process that began when Ramirez chose them.

“I hand-picked them,” coach Hugo Ramirez said. “I saw their dedication and I thought, ‘I could use that in the weight room.’ They fell in love with the workouts, and they wanted to be successful so I knew they’d make it to state. I’m not surprised.”

One example of Ramirez’s eye for hard work can be found in Pulido, a lifter in the 148-pound weight class.

Pulido, now a junior, was once a Lopez soccer player. When Ramirez suggested he give the weight room a try, he wasn’t sure it was a fit. Now he’s hooked.

“(Pulido) said ‘I’m not that big,’ and I told him to give me a chance,” Ramirez said. “But now, he’s the type of kid where you have to tell him ‘Go home, already.’”

At this year’s regional meet in Weslaco, Pulido set a regional record in the deadlift that helped punch his ticket to Abilene.

Once he completed his squat and bench press, Pulido was in sixth place. But when he lifted a record 560 pounds in the deadlift, he shot up to second place in his class.

“I was very happy inside and happy for the school itself,” Pulido said when he learned his lift had secured him a place at the state meet.

Berrones, a sophomore, will compete in the 114-pound weight class. He surpassed the qualifying total of 850 pounds necessary to earn a spot in the state and was ecstatic that he’d advanced with a fourth-place total of 905 (330 squat, 175 bench press, 400 deadlift).

“I was shocked,” he said. “Once I got my qualifying total, I was shocked because I didn’t imagine going to state my sophomore year.”

His teammate, Diaz, lifts in the 132-pound weight class and finished third at the regional competition. His total of 1,175 pounds (460-275-440) is the result of three years of dedication. He started lifting as a freshman and has been devoted to the weight room ever since.

“I love the weight room,” Diaz said. “I come at 6 in the morning, school starts at 8 and I just work out for two hours. Then, after school we come to the weight room again.

“It’s really exciting to know that we’re the first ones to make it (to state), and it should be a nice experience.”

Ramirez couldn’t be more proud of the strides his team has taken. Numerous hours working toward a goal have paid off.

“We expect to medal. All three of them,” Ramirez said. “Hopefully as a team we finish top five in state. It’s very competitive, but with their hard work and dedication, we should be up there.”

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

It took two innings for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons to secure enough runs for a victory.

A five-run second inning led to an eventual 11-2 win over the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers on Tuesday in Brownsville.

“It was good (to get an early lead),” Los Fresnos coach Traci Blackman said. “I thought we did a good job of staying focused and finishing.”

Stephanie Perez led off the second frame with a single — her first of three hits on the night — for the Lady Falcons and soon advanced one base on a wild pitch by pitcher Cassie Valdez.

“(Stephanie) has been sick, so we’ve been trying to hold her out a little bit,” Blackman said. “She usually plays first base for us. They did tell us she could hit today and she was excited, so that’s good for us.”

Vicky Rodriguez followed the hit with a bunt single to advance Perez to third, and two batters later Marisela Gaytan drew a walk to load the bases.

Vivikah Pesina recorded an RBI following a single that scored Perez for the first run of the game. Rodriguez then scored on a wild pitch, and Maya Guevara helped Los Fresnos maintain momentum when she tallied two RBIs on a double to left field. Guevara then advanced to third and home on a pair of wild pitches.

“We had some trouble defensively in the second inning when we gave up five, and it changes the feel of the game,” Brownsville Veterans coach Ray Cardenas said. “To be down five to a really good team puts you in a certain position to where you can’t afford to make mistakes.”

With the score 5-0 in favor of the Lady Falcons, Valdez retired the next two batters, one via strikeout and the other on a line drive to the shortstop Rheanna Gomez.

Los Fresnos scored one run in each of the next four innings and added two more in the seventh.

Brownsville Veterans managed to string together enough offense to push across runs on one occasion. It took them until the fourth inning, but the Lady Chargers’ Gomez led off with a single to left field and Sarah Sandoval was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Kianna Silva hit a single to center field to drive in the Lady Chargers’ only two runs of the game.

The game was the second in as many nights for the Lady Chargers, who were coming off a 3-2 victory over Hanna on Monday.

“It puts a lot of pressure on the pitching,” Cardenassaid. “Our pitcher last night put together seven complete innings in a very, very emotional game against Hanna. We had to consider whether to throw her again or if it’s better to give (Valdez) some experience and save our arms for a long district race.”

Gaytan pitched seven innings and allowed eight hits and zero walks. She issued two strikeouts.

Pesina joined Perez as Los Fresnos batters who had three hits, and Victoria Loa, Dori Alcalde and Vicky Rodriguez each recorded two for the Lady Falcons.

Thalia Perez had a pair of hits for the Lady Chargers.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

It took one big inning to lift the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles to victory Friday night at Hanna.

The home team sent 12 batters to the plate and scored all six of its runs during the bottom of the fourth. Seven different players reached base in the inning and the Lady Eagles earned a 6-0 win over the Harlingen South Lady Hawks.

After reaching base twice as a team during the first three innings, Hanna pitcher Juliette Gonzales led off the fourth with a sharp double to deep left-center field, setting the tone for the frame.

Sarah Chacon then entered the game as a pinch runner for Gonzalez. Itxel Martinez followed the double by reaching second base after an throw by Harlingen South shortstop Ashley Galvan landed in the dugout. The error brought Chacon home for the first run of the game.

The next two batters were retired. Cassie Abrego struck out swinging on an full count and Rebekah Galarza hit a sacrifice ground ball to second base, scoring Martinez, who reached third on a wild pitch.

Harlingen South pitcher Mankia Coronado then issued a two-out walk to Sabrina Fernandez, and Lady Hawks coach Debbie Esparza elected to bring in Karina Abrego to finish the inning.

However, the next six Hanna batters also managed to reach base. Britany Rey hit a ground ball to third that advanced the runner. Lauren Rivera hit an RBI-single to center field — her second hit of the night — and Salome McManus reached via a walk.

Sammy Ibarra hit a ball hard to left field that slipped past the defender and cleared the bases. It was 6-0 in favor of the Lady Eagles when they loaded the bases yet again.

“The game was going back and forth at 0-0,” Hanna coach Rey Lerma said. “I told the girls, ‘This is a game where luck plays a big part, but we’ve go to make our own luck, and we need to put the ball in play.’

“Their left fielder made an error, and then we got some timely hits. I think that was what got us over.”

Walks by Gonzales and Martinezwere enough for Esparza to bring Coronadoback into the game. She recorded the final out of the lengthy fourth when Cassie Abrego hit a chopper to the pitcher’s mound.

“We just lost focus, I think,” Esparza said. “I changed pitchers to see if it would mess them up because they’d already seen her twice, but the other pitcher came in and she wasn’t on tonight so I had to put the other one back in.”

Not to be overshadowed by the explosive fourth inning was Gonzales’ pitching performance. She pitched a complete game for Hanna, allowing five hits, zero runs and notching 14 strikeouts.

She also struck out the side on two separate occasions. Once in the fifth, making it a short response by the Lady Hawks after the big fourth inning, and again in the seventh to end the game.

“It was a great pitching performance by Juliette,” Lerma said, “but this was a total team effort, and that’s all I ask for.”

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

Two members of the Porter girls powerlifting team are heading to the state tournament Friday in Corpus Christi.

The athletes, Mary Ann Gonzalez and Natasha Lopez, are seniors and in their second year of powerlifting. Though both are heading to state, they have reached that level via somewhat different means.

Gonzalez, a member of the 165-pound weight class, has a natural gift. Mata said she was built to be a lifter.

“Mary Ann is genetically blessed,” Porter coach Tito Mata said. “She walked (into the weight room) her first day and repped two plates. It takes most girls eight to 10 months to do that once. So her first day, I knew she had it.”

Lopez, on the other hand, competes in the 148-pound weight class and has worked for two years to mold herself into a state-eligible athlete.

“Natasha had to work hard,” Mata said. “When I got her, she could barely do a bar. I’ve been with her for two years and she has progressively gotten stronger and stronger.”

Both athletes earned bids to compete in Corpus Christi following a good showing March 7 at the regional meet in Edcouch-Elsa.

Gonzalez and Lopez will compete against Class 5A lifters in their respective weight classes at the state meet.

Lopez lifted a combined weight of 750 pounds (300 squat, 140 bench and 310 deadlift) at the regional meet. The score eclipsed the necessary state-qualifying total of 735 pounds by 15 pounds.

The effort placed her 15th among contenders in the region — which includes Class 6A and Class 5A competitors — and eighth among 5A participants.

“It was nerve-racking and shocking,” Lopez said when she found out she would be moving on to state. “It’s going to take good technique, but as long as I finish between first and fifth, I’ll be happy.”

Gonzalez is looking to build upon last year’s trip to the state meet. At the regional, Gonzalez far surpassed the qualifying total of 745 pounds and lifted a combined weight of 865 pounds (395 squat, 175 bench press and 295 deadlift).

Gonzalez finished fifth in the region for her weight class and second among 5A competitors. She has her sights set on a strong showing Friday.

“I want to get all my lifts so I can be state champ,” she said. “As long as I get all my lifts, I’ll be a state champ.”

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — With a runner on third and one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Karina Gonzalez delivered her second RBI of the game to win it for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons.

Kaylin Szpak reached third after entering the game as a pinch runner following a walk by leadoff batter Marisela Gaytan. Gonzalez hit a sacrifice ground ball to first base that scored Szpak and gave the Lady Falcons a 2-1 victory over the Harlingen High Lady Cardinals on Tuesday.

“I thought we did a better job,” Los Fresnos coach Traci Blackman said. “It took us a while to put the ball in play and string some hits together, but I thought it was a good game for both teams overall.”

The Lady Cardinals finished the inning by working their way out of a situation with runners on second and third after forcing Dori Alcalde to ground out to third for the final out.

With two innings remaining to tie the game, Harlingen High was retired in order in the sixth. But at the start of the seventh, the Lady Falcons allowed leadoff batter Brianna Garza to reach on a ground ball to third base.

After Victoria Rodriguez tracked down a long fly ball to deep center field and Gonzalez caught a popup in foul territory, Gaytan earned a strikeout to end the game.

“We didn’t hit the ball in timely fashion,” Harlingen High coach Lance White said. “We had an inning where they made some errors, and we had a baserunning error that took us out of the inning. We made contact, but we didn’t really hit the ball in situations where we had runners on base to deliver.”

The Lady Falcons scored the first run of the game in the third inning. Maya Guevara reached second on a throwing error and was driven in by a sacrifice fly ball to center field by Gonzalez.

The following inning, Harlingen High had three straight runners reach on consecutive infield errors by the Lady Falcons.

“(I told them) just to shake it off. We have a saying, ‘Just flush it,’ and go get the next one,” Blackman said regarding a timeout she called amidst the flurry of errors. “I thought they did a good job of getting out of that inning without too much happening.

“We’re a little rusty because of the weather. It’s a whole lot different when you come out and play the games than it is in practice. We’ve been in the gym. We’ve only been on our field one time in the past week to practice, and I know a lot of (teams) are going through the same thing right now.”

The Lady Cardinals failed to capitalize on what could have been a gainful inning.

Briana Garza drove in one run on a ground ball to third base but a baserunning error by the Lady Cardinals ended the inning prematurely.

The contest then remained knotted at 1 until the Lady Falcons scored the game-winner in the fifth.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

San Benito defeats Los Fresnos

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

SAN BENITO — Playing their second game in less than 24 hours didn’t seem to have an effect on the San Benito Lady Greyhounds.

San Benito pitcher Crystal Castillo allowed one run on five hits and struck out 12 as the Lady Greyhounds handed the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons a 4-1 loss Saturday in San Benito.

Maya Guevara led off the game with a hit for Los Fresnos, but Castillo — who pitched the night before — retired the next three batters in order, the latter two via strikeout.

“It’s tough playing back-to-back,” San Benito coach Elias Martinez said. “We played two quality teams in the Cardinals and Los Fresnos, and being off for almost a week and a half, it was tough, but our girls stepped to the plate. We played very well, I was very pleased.

“I was worried about Crystal because she pitched last night, but she hung tough and we did what we had to get some runs.”

It didn’t take long for the Lady Greyhounds to provide their pitcher with the lead she needed to earn the victory.

During the bottom of the second inning, Ali Huerta led off with a single to center field, and Mel Gonzalez and Castillo each hit infield singles to load the bases.

Kimberly Harper stepped to the plate one batter later and hit a line-drive double down the left-field line to score Huerta and Gonzalez. Stephanie Contreras then drove in Castillo, and the Lady Greyhounds had a 3-0 lead after two.

Los Fresnos failed to answer in the third when Marisela Gaytan led off with a walk and Vivikah Pesina hit a single. The Lady Falcons didn’t put a player in scoring position the remainder of the game.

“I’m not disappointed in our effort,” Los Fresnos coach Traci Blackman said. “There was a couple little things that didn’t go our way. They strung some hits together and scored some runs. We got some people on, we just couldn’t get them in. It was a very good pitcher.”

During the sixth inning, Los Fresnos notched its only run when Karina Gonzalez sent a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall for a home run. Dori Alcalde reached base on a single to follow the homer, but Castillo struck out the final two batters of the inning.

She then retired the Lady Falcons in order in the seventh to seal the win for the Lady Greyhounds.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.