KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

With just three games remaining in District 32-6A, the playoff race has shaken up after Brownsville Hanna clinched a playoff berth with a 9-6 win over Harlingen High on Tuesday night.

Hanna is back in the postseason for the first time in six years and is currently 4-3 in district play.

While their playoff ticket is punched, Hanna will now face the toughest part of their schedule, starting Friday when it hosts San Benito.

The Lady Eagles will then wrap up their regular season with Los Fresnos then Harlingen South.

“We are excited to be back in the playoffs,” Hanna coach Greg Larson. “Our goal has been to get better each day. The kids have worked hard all year and competed in a tough district. Going into our game against Harlingen, we stressed how important is was to get the win with a tough schedule coming up. But now that we clinched, it is comforting for us to know we made it and we will see where we fall and go from there.”

Against Harlingen, Hanna used a seven-run fourth inning to erase a 4-0 deficit. The big inning was highlighted by a Brianna Martinez grand slam. Martinez finished with a strong night at the plate, going 3-for-4. Along with Martinez was teammate Tabby Fernadez, who also went yard in the win. In the circle, Diana Guerrero was tabbed with the win.

LOS FRESNOS STAYS HOT

After last week’s upset win over Harlingen South, Los Fresnos kept the train rolling with a 17-0 win over Brownsville Rivera. The Lady Falcons completed the season sweep and are now 5-2 and tied for second place in 32-6A with the Lady Hawks.

With just three games remaining, the Lady Falcons are beginning to click and are in the hunt for a district title.

Los Fresnos will meet Hanna on Friday, followed by Harlingen then, if the stars align, the Lady Falcons will have a shot for a share of the district title in the regular season finale against San Benito.

Los Fresnos’ offense continues to rake at the plate. Last week against San Benito, Aileen Avelar hit two homers and set a new club record with 33 in a season. That record continues to be shattered.

On Tuesday, the Lady Falcons belted four more homers off the bats of Ashley Muniz and Reba Reyes. Reyes clubbed three of the four home runs, increasing her total to a team-high 15 dingers. Right behind Reyes is Avelar with eight, Vicky Perales with six and Sam Campos, Muniz and Valerie Guevara, who all have two on the year.

Sticking with power, Los Fresnos, Harlingen South and San Benito all have sluggers of their own and it is coming from the strong freshmen core of players.

South’s Iliana Saucedo has homered in four straight games and twice against San Benito. The freshman has 10 homers on the year.

San Benito meanwhile has sophomore Jordan Ramos and freshman Jaelynn Huerta, who have turned into a strong 1-2 punch in the heart of the Lady Greyhounds order.

DISTRICT 32-4A

Rio Hondo will be looking for their sixth straight district title when they travel to Port Isabel on Friday.

The Lady Bobcats will need to win one of their final three games in order to clinch the league crown. Port Isabel and Zapata are tied for second with 9-2 records.

Zapata picked up a 3-0 over the Lady Tarpons on Tuesday and own the head-to-head until the two meet again next week. The two teams have already clinched a playoff berth, so it is now a matter of seeding.

Both Raymondville and La Feria will be battling for the fourth spot with three games to go. The two will meet on Friday.

The Lady Bearkats are currently in the driver seat with a 6-5 record, while La Feria is 5-6 on the outside looking in. A La Feria loss would eliminate them from post season contention, while a win would send Raymondville to the playoffs.

LYFORD STAYS PERFECT

Lyford improved their perfect season to 27-0 with a 23-0 win over Santa Rosa Tuesday night. The Lady Bulldogs have three games remaining against Monte Alto, Idea Quest and Santa Rosa.

Against the Lady Warriors, Lyford plated nine runs in the first inning and 14 runs in the second inning.

Both Jessica Cruz and Jerrica Rojas paced the offense with three hits each. Cruz drove in four runs while Alyssa Garcia and Rojas also collected three RBI’s each.

In the circle, Miranda Wetegrove threw all three innings while striking out seven and didn’t give up a hit.

LADY CHARGER CONTINUE TO ROLL

Brownsville Veterans Memorial continued to play well to the tune of an 18-2 win over Valley View.

The Lady Chargers are now 11-0 in district play and remain in control of winning the district 32-5A title.

Against Valley View, BVM used a five-run first inning and scored a run in the second and fourth inning. The offense came to life in the sixth inning with an 11-run frame.

Mia Alzandua, Mariangel Barbosa, Natalie Mendoza and Natasha Ruiz all collected three hits in the win. Mendoza also hit a homer in the win, while Alzandua drove in a team-high four runs. The offense finished with 18 runs on 17 hits.

Up next is a road game at Brownsville Porter on Friday, followed by matchups against Brownsville Lopez and Edcouch-Elsa.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO — The San Benito Lady Greyhounds came out swinging and didn’t let up.

On parents night and with rival Harlingen South in town, the Lady ’Hounds controlled their emotions and used a pair of four-run innings led by the bats Jordan Ramos, Kate Garza and Sarah Garcia to cruise to a 11-3 win Tuesday night.

In the circle, Lady ’Hounds senior Nana Carrizales held her own in a complete game effort, yielding three runs, three hits and three walks and striking out six.

“I was a little nervous, but as the day went on I gained confidence,” Carrizales said. “As soon as I got in the circle, I was focused and ready. Against a lineup like South’s, I knew I had to hit my spots and I know I have a great defense behind me, and if the ball gets hit my defense will be right there.”

With the win, the ’Lady Hounds are 6-1 in District 32-6A. South has dropped two straight and is 5-2, and Los Fresnos — which also won Tuesday — is alive in the district title race with a 5-2 record and three games remaining in the regular season.

“It was a very emotional day. We had some kids where it was their last senior night, and some kids it was their first senior night,” Lady ’Hounds coach Denise Lira said. “Then you throw in where we stood with tonight’s game, but the girls have done a great job on taking everything one thing at a time, and they are able to keep their focus. And sometimes they lose focus, but do a great job on getting back on track.”

San Benito’s offense got going in a hurry with three straight hits. The Lady ’Hounds got on the board with back-to-back RBIs from Jaelynn Huerta and Ramos. Garcia and Steph Lopez later followed with RBIs to put San Benito ahead 4-0 after the first inning.

The offense added two more runs in the second inning and led 5-1. It was in the third inning that San Benito added some insurance runs. Ramos and Garza each hit two-run homers to put the game out of reach 10-1.

The offense collected 15 hits on 11 runs. Kari Cinsneros continues to swing a hot bat, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and three runs scored. Ramos also went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and drove in three runs. Garcia finished 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs.

San Benito’s early offense gave the Lady ’Hounds the cushion and confidence they needed against Harlingen South.

“The momentum was in our favor from the start of the game,” Lira said. “It is great to start with runs in any game, but in a game as big as this one it really settled us down and kept the kids hungry and focused.”

San Benito built an early lead much like in the teams’ first contest, but Tuesday the Lady ’Hounds held the lead and Lira owed that to the kids’ mental toughness.

“We mentally needed to get stronger and we have matured,” Lira said. “We have grown from that loss and that type of game where we were up, and since then the kids have grown stronger and matured on their own, and that you can’t just wait on any team and that every inning counts.”

Meanwhile, South continues to struggle at the plate. The Lady Hawks received homers from Iliana Saucedo and Krystal Gonzales. Overall, the offense mustered three hits and generated six baserunners.

“We are just not doing a good job on handling the pressure right now,” South coach Elias Martinez said. “When game situations come up we need to do something, and right now we are not doing those things, more so at the plate. We just need to keep plugging away.”

South will look to rebound against Brownsville Rivera on Friday at home, and San Benito will travel to Brownsville Hanna. Both games are set for 6:30 p.m.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO — The Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats took one more step toward a sixth straight district title Saturday.

Rio Hondo shook off a slow start and used a 12-run second inning fueled by the bats of Abbie Torris and Alyssa Silguero to earn a 17-2 win over Grulla in three innings.

The win puts Rio Hondo in firm position in District 32-4A with an 11-0 record and three games remaining in the regular season. Rio Hondo will have a bye Tuesday before they take on Port Isabel on Friday.

“Right now, we feel good on where we are at,” Torris said. “We still have work in front of us, but we are ready as a team for the next challenge.”

With so few games remaining, Rio Hondo needs to win one in order to secure the district title.

“I feel like from the start of the season till now I have improved,” Emma Serna said. “Of course, there is still plenty of work to do and I can still continue to improve, but I feel more confident at the plate and right now we are playing good. We just need to keep working.”

The Lady ’Cats trailed 2-0 heading into the second inning. With one out, Kelsey Pizarro reached first after being hit by a pitch. Silguero drove in Pizarro to open the scoring. With two outs, Serna kept the inning alive on an infield single, scoring Silguero.

Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Torris broke the tie with a bases-clearing triple giving Rio Hondo a 5-2 lead.

“The truth is I didn’t pay attention to the runners on base,” Torris said. “I just knew I needed to go up there and get a hit. I needed to make a play, and I was surprised how hard I hit it and everyone came in and scored, and right now I’m seeing the ball well. I feel good at the plate.”

Rio Hondo sent 15 batters to the plate in the second, and followed it up with a five-run third to help seal the win. At the plate, Savanna Gonzalez went 1-for-2 with one run scored, Torris went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs, and Silguero finished a 2-for-2 day with three RBIs and three runs scored.

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

BROWNSVILLE— Entering their second meeting against rival Mercedes, with an opportunity to put themselves in the driver’s seat in District 32-5A, Brownsville Veterans Memorial took the field with a little extra emotion and motivation.

First assistant Heriberto Rodriguez’s wife is in the hospital with an illness, and the Lady Chargers dedicated their game to their coach.

Senior ace Mia Anzaldua threw a complete game, surrendering one run, walking one and striking out 15 Lady Tigers, and Brownsville Veterans used a three-run first and a four-run sixth to complete the season sweep over Mercedes 9-1.

“This was a big game and we knew it was going to be tough, we played a quality team in Mercedes,” Brownsville Veterans coach Rayner Cardenas said. “It was difficult and they proposed a tough challenge. Mia was very dominant on the mound and we just need to play solid defense, and we gave up a few hits and errors here and there, but when it is all said and done I like the way the girls responded to the pressure.”

Anzaldua struck out the side four times and, at one point, struck out eight in a row from the second to the fourth innings. The senior took a no-hitter into the fifth, but it ended when Mercedes’ Reba Ayala laced a leadoff double.

“This is just a big game for us, this is the game we all get ready for,” Anzaldua said. “The fact that they are such a good team and hit the ball well, that is a motivation for us. I do mix things up as a pitcher, but also the practice that goes in during the week, that is what helps make a difference on the field.”

The fifth inning was the only blemish for the Lady Chargers. The Lady Tigers took advantage of back-to-back errors and plated their only run. After a two-out walk, Anzaldua wiggled out of the bases-loaded jam by retiring the next two batters.

“Coach just wanted us to stay calm and focused in that fifth inning,” she said. “Errors happen, we just kept our focus and were able to get out of the inning.”

Brownsville Veterans took advantage of passed balls and drew five walks against Mercedes starter Kassidie Rodriguez. The bats woke up during the sixth inning. Sarah Gomez, Jocelyn Head and Liz Abete all drove in runs as part of a four-run frame.

The Lady Chargers are 10-0 in district, and Mercedes is 8-2 with four games remaining in the regular season. Up next for Brownsville Veterans is a match against Valley View, and Mercedes will look to rebound against Edcouch-Elsa.

“Right now our focus is to just keep playing and win out and hopefully get that district title, and then get ready for the playoffs,” Anzaldua said.

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO— The Rio Hondo Bobcats are sending another Rhyner brother to play football at the next level.

Last season, Ty Rhyner signed to play football at Southwestern University. This time around, younger brother Jake Rhyner signed with Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.

“Today is pretty nerve-wrecking, when I was on my way over here,” Rhyner said. “I think I made the right decision on where I want to go and take the next step and play college ball. Not many people get to do that. I’m looking forward to it, and I’m pretty excited.”

Rhyner spent three years on the varsity and played the guard position along the offensive line. Also, he was a part of a team that won a district title his junior year, and he was a part of two playoff runs his junior and senior years in which Rio Hondo brought home a bi-district title.

“You always want to outdo your brother,” he said. “You want to do a little bit more, and what helped me was this has always been a dream of mine. Ever since I was little this is something I wanted to do, and I didn’t think it would happen.”

Once the offers came in, Rhyner knew he was fit and ready to play at the college level.

“Yes, it will be nervous when I sign, but what else can be more exciting that playing college football? It’s special for sure,” Rhyner said.

Bobcats coach Rocky James mentored both Rhyner boys throughout their high school careers and has seen each sign to play at the college level.

“(Jake) played a huge role for us this year,” James said. “His brother graduated and Jake kind of came out of his shadow. Everyone knew Ty, and when he left (Jake) became his own man and became a great football player, and we are happy to see him take off and play college ball. We knew that it was one of his goals to play college ball.”

MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

Getting off to a fast start is always a good thing and that was the case for the Harlingen South Hawks track and field team as they put together a solid first day at the District 32-6A track and field meet Thursday afternoon at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.

The Hawks not only came out and dominated the shot put and discus throws as expected, but put on a show in the pole vault, which was a pleasant surprise to Harlingen South head coach Ralph De la Rosa.

“I think our boys did a great job of competing today,” the Hawks’ coach said. “We did some things in the pole vault and it came out better than expected. Of course, our throwers came through like they have the last three years. Right now, I like the way everybody is competing. We also had some basketball guys who came out and helped score some points that we didn’t have before, so that was pretty neat to see.”

The Hawks are in first place after Thursday with 85 points, followed by Harlingen High, Harlingen (71), Hanna (26), San Benito (20), Los Fresnos (11) and Rivera (4).

The field events, along with the 3200-meter run and running preliminaries took place Thursday and the meet will conclude Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. The top four finishers in each event will move on the District 31/32-6A meet in Weslaco on April 18.

Chase Harrell won the discus throw with a distance of 163 feet, 4 inches, followed by teammates Cristian Cortez, (154-07), Benjamin Ruiz (146-07) and Hanna’s Giovanni Rivera (146-06).

In the shot put, South’s Andrew Ott took home the gold with a throw of 55-02, followed by teammate Harrell in second (54-08) , Hanna’s Giovanni Rivera (53-7.50) in third and Ruiz in fourth (46-06).

In the pole vault, Sammy Ruiz cleared 13 feet, 6 inches to secure the gold, while Rhandall Muro-Lopez took cleared 12-06, taking second on attempts as San Benito’s Mitch Guajardo also cleared the same height.

Harlingen High, who has excelled on the track, also had a big day over in the sand pits.

The Cardinals swept the top three places in the long jump with Jose Garcia placing first with a jump of 22-5.25, followed by Eric Quilantan (21-3.50) in second and Pedro Luna (20-05) in third. South’s Nitia Duran came in fourth (20-03).

Quilantan also won the triple jump with a jump of 41-05. Los Fresnos’ Daniel Dennie came in second (41-02), Garcia tied for third with South’s Gabriel Mares (40-03).

In the High jump, Caden Feekes and Nathan Gutierrez placed first and second, respectively for the Cards.

Despite a good first day, De la Rosa is wary of the Harlingen High speed expected out on the track come Saturday night when the running finals get underway.

“Harlingen has a lot of leg speed and they’re all young and fiery,” the South coach said. “They’re tough. Our job is to do what we’re supposed to do. We’re going to have to PR to have a chance and our relays will have to run faster than they have in the past. For us, we have to take care of ourselves; we can’t worry about anybody else in the field.”

LADY RAIDERS AND A CROWDED FIELD

The Rivera girls aren’t in the lead, but they have a lot to be happy with after Day 1 of the District 32-6A track and field meet with a couple of gold medals coming from another dominating run from distance runner Andrea de la Rosa in the 3,200-meter run and Ashley Hinojosa in the long jump.

Despite being one of the teams trailing Harlingen High in the standings after one day, Rivera head coach Jennifer Schuster says the good start was important with Saturday’s running events expected to be competitive.

“I think we’re on target where everybody though we’d be,” Schuster said. ‘Harlingen (High) is in the lead right now. They did very well in the jumping events and that helped them a lot. We’re hoping to be in the mix of things in the relays, but all of those are really tight in the district. It’s going to come down to these open events and who gets what in the relays. It’ll be a tight race.”

Harlingen High leads the pack with 52 points, followed by San Benito (41), Harlingen South (38), Hanna (32), Rivera (28) and Los Fresnos (26).

De la Rosa easily won the 3,200-meter run in 11:48.22, more than 30 seconds faster than Hanna’s Nadia Sifuentes, who placed second with a 12:23.07 time.

Rivera’s Bethany Guzman came in third with a time of 12:29.03 and Harlingen High’s Michelle Medina (12:30.65).

“Andrea placed first and Bethany got third and I’m proud of them for that,” the Rivera coach said. “Bethany is also the pitcher for the softball team, so for her to balance both is difficult, yet she was able to qualify, so I’m proud of her and, of course, Andrea. Also Andrea encouraging Bethany is something I love watching for the team.”

In the long jump, Hinojosa took gold with a jump of 16-08, followed by Harlingen High’s Jaiden Barbour (15-09) and Sabrina Todd (15-07) and Hanna’s Hilary Pina (15-03).

In the High jump, Harlingen High’s Amber Leyva cleared 5-00 to win the gold, followed by Los Fresnos’ Gismani Garcia, Harlingen High’s Sabrina Todd, Los Fresnos’ Sandra Salazar and Hanna’s Natalie Arnold, who all cleared 4-10.

Harlingen South’s Daniela Maximo won the pole vault (9-00) and teammate Odemary Vidano won the discus throw (120-01).

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LYFORD—After last year’s loss in the bi-district round of the playoffs, the Lyford Lady Bulldogs were at a crossroads.

A young and up and coming club would need to regroup and prepare for next season.

That time has come and Lyford has responded quite well with a 25-0 record with just five games remaining and a perfect regular season isn’t too farfetched.

“That playoff loss left a bad taste in our mouth,” Lyford coach Joey Rios said. “We took the first game and then dropped two straight. It is tough having to flip the switch when we head into the playoffs, but it is very humbling that when we get to the playoffs, everyone is a contender.”

“All In” is the 2019 motto in Lyford.

The two words carry weight around the Lady Bulldogs’ clubhouse and the results have shown. Through 25 games the team is batting .477 and slugging .694. As for the rotation the club has an ERA of .698 and have struck out 144 batters and walked 41.

Lyford has welcomed in a strong crop of freshman who have quickly adapted to their roles at the varsity level. The starting nine has four starting freshman, three juniors and two sophomores.

“We have had a few of these younger girls on our radar and coming into the season on that first day, you can feel the intensity and competitiveness,” Rios said. “There is communication all the way around and I had a talk with them about empowering on and off the field. When they step through that gate, they are ready to work.”

Juniors Jerrica Rojas, who is the clubs ace in the circle, can also play third base along with Jessica Cruz, who plays catcher.

Both players have provided the club with a wealth of experience and have become vocal leaders on and off the field.

“When I was a freshman, I was a little iffy and scared on coming up to the varsity with all the seniors,” Rojas said. “Now that I’m older, I want to do the same for the younger girls just the way the seniors did for me. I want to make them feel comfortable and want them to know we are here if they ever need anything.”

Cruz, meanwhile, has been a mainstay for Lyford behind the plate, calling balls and strikes with mastery.

“Ever since our sophomore year, it has been our class that has stepped in and have become the leaders,” Cruz said. “When we come together, our defense is solid and we hardly make errors and at the plate, we have a strong lineup and we have depth.”

“At the start of the season, the pressure did get to me, with the new group coming up and knowing I had to lead,” Cruz added. “But I have taken the roll to where I will be there for my team no matter what. That is my mentality.”

The quest for another district title and a perfect regular season continues tonight at home against Idea Quest, with the first pitch set for 6:00 p.m.

“I have never been on a team that has gone undefeated,” Rojas said. “I’m so proud of my team and we are all so humble about it. Our team is having so much fun because of the bond we have created. We had some ups and downs but along the way we knew chemistry would be a key for us to make a playoff run and we have that down.”

MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

After being sidelined with a hamstring injury for nearly a month, Hanna sprinter Jacqueline Mora made her return to the track at the PSJA Memorial Flying Ws meet Friday afternoon in Pharr.

The junior sprinter placed second in the 100-meter dash in 12.72 seconds.

While it wasn’t a win, Hanna head coach Olaya Teran was pleased just to see her standout runner get back to action and help her team with the District 32-6A meet set to begin today.

“(Mora) ran the 100 last week and she looked good,” the Hanna coach said. “She got second, but she was trying out her hamstring and she should be fine. We’re going to add her to the (400-meter relay), so we should be OK in the relays. We should be fine in the individual events as long as everything stays OK. The girls have worked hard and have done really well without our main runners. I believe we’re going to pull through and do well.”

Today’s meet will start at 9 a.m. with the field events, 3200-meter run and track preliminaries.

Other Hanna runners bringing home hardware from Pharr was Aniel Aguero, who won the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.38.

Distance runner Nadia Sifuentes also had a solid day, coming in third in the 1600-meter run (5:44.30) and fifth in the 3200-meter run (12:45.51).

The Hanna relay team also came in third in the 1600-meter relay (4:15.80), seventh in the 800-meter relay (1:52.14) and fifth in the 400-meter relay (51.48), though Mora’s addition should help bolster the 400-meter relay time this weekend.

One team coming in on a high note is the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons, who won the Flying Ws despite not taking distance runners, long and triple jumpers or top hurdler Brianna Alex, who competed at the Texas Relays in Austin.

Los Fresnos also didn’t run a mile relay team.

Still, the Lady Falcons topped the standings with 92 points, edging out Harlingen high (76), Rivera (70), Brownsville Veterans memorial (65) and San Benito (62).

“We went into that meet not expecting to win the whole thing, just to go in there and compete,” Los Fresnos head coach Brent Blackman said. “Everybody competed well and we ended up pulling it off. We felt like everybody is running well right now and peaking at the right time. Our relays are running at top form; there’s a lot of confidence coming off that.”

Several Lady Falcons had big days, starting with Luisa Cruz, who placed first in the 100-meter dash (12.40) and second in 200-meter dash (26.88).

In the 800-meter run, Gisemani Garcia placed first with a time of 2:29.85.

In the field events, Alejandra Garcia won the shot put with a throw of 35 feet, 7 inches, while Ashley Muniz won the discus throw with a 128-8.

Los Fresnos also won the 400-meter relay (51.26) and the 800-meter relay (1:49.15).

TEXAS RELAYS

A few Cameron County athletes tried their hand in the Texas Relays held at the University of Texas at Austin this past weekend and had good showings among the large field of competitors.

Harlingen High’s Jose Garcia ran the 100-meter dash and competed in the long jump.

Garcia finished 12 in the long jump with a distance of 22 feet, 3.25 inches and placed 20 th in the preliminaries of the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.77.

Harlingen South’s top throwers were also in action with Chase Harrel finishing in 13 th with a throw of 158-3 and Cristian Cortez following in 14 th with a 157-5.

In the shot put, Andrew Ott placed 16 th . South’s Nitai Duran also competed, placing 25 th in the 110-hurdle preliminaries.

St. Joseph’s Pablo Zolezzi competed the in the discus and finished 18 th (154-1).

Hanna’s Giovani Rivera placed 26 th in the shot put (48-5.5).

DISTRICT BEGINS

The district meets in the area begin tomorrow, but the District 32-5A kicked off Tuesday with the running preliminaries and the distance running and field finals.

A few Brownsville athletes opened the meet on a good start.

Pace’s Esmeralda Ruiz-Bali won the girl’s discus with a throw of 127-05.

In the boy’s long jump, Porter’s Matthew Sandoval placed first (20-07), followed by Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Michael Garza (20-04) and Lopez’s Alejandro Rivera (19-09).

In the boy’s triple jump, Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Diego Hinjosa placed first (42-01) and teammate Tony Medrano placed second (41-03).

In the Boy’s discus throw, Jose Quintero took home the gold with a throw of 161-04).

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

The Lyford Lady Bulldogs have yet to lose a game in 2019.

Lyford improved to 25-0 on the year and is 5-0 in district 32-3A after a 29-0 win over Monte Alto on Tuesday.

Lyford has four games remaining on their schedule with their next game coming on Friday at home against Idea Quest.

Lyford used a 12-run first inning and a 17-run second inning to seal the win in three innings. The offense collected 15 hits on the night.

Lyford’s Hannah Garza collected three hits and both Tiffany Alaniz and Mia Wetegrove finished with two hits, while Jerrica Rojas drove in five runs.

LADY ’CATS STAY HOT IN 32-4A

District rival Raymodville gave Rio Hondo as much as they could handle Tuesday night.

The two clubs were tied at a run each heading into the sixth inning before Rio Hondo’s bats woke up with a four-run sixth and a two-run seventh that helped fuel a 10-3 win. With the win, Rio Hondo stays unbeaten in district play with a 10-0 record with four games remaining.

In the circle, Kelsey Pizarro pitched a complete game, surrendering two runs on three hits and struck out six.

Domo De Jesus finished with three hits, Kayla Castaneda and Erika Cortez had a pair of hits.

Castaneda meanwhile drove in a team-high three RBI’s, overall the offense finished with 10 hits.

Up next is a Saturday matchup against Grulla at home with the first pitch set for noon.

Port Isabel meanwhile is finding their form. The Lady Tarpons are riding a four-game win streak after Tuesday night’s 13-3 win over Grulla.

With the win, the Lady Tarpons are 8-1 in district play and play at Hidalgo on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Against Grulla, Port Isabel scored six runs in the second inning and five runs in the fifth inning. Ava Moore went 1-for-1 with a triple, three walks and two runs scored. Kyla Mata finished with a 1-for-3 night with a walk and a run scored.

La Feria earned a 19-9 win against Hidalgo. The Lionettes are back at the .500 mark with a 5-5 district record and will meet Zapata Saturday at 3 p.m.

The offense generated 19 runs on 13 hits as Eneli Garza had a strong night at the plate with three hits and Amaris Avila collected two hits.

In the circle, Faith Mckenzie threw six innings and struck out seven.

Mckenzie helped her own cause with a four-RBI night at the plate.

32-5A

Meanwhile in Brownsville, the train continues to roll for the Lady Chargers.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial picked up an 8-0 win against Donna High.

The win puts Brownsville Veterans on a collision course with Mercedes on Friday.

The Lady Chargers are 8-0 while Mercedes is 7-1 with their only loss coming against BVM earlier this season.

In the circle, Mia Anzaldua threw a complete game shutout, yielding one hit and whiffed 15 batters.

After taking a 4-0 lead into the seventh inning, The Lady Chargres plated four runs behind a three-hit performance from Cristina Gonzalez.

Both Mariangel and Natalie Mendoza each had two hits in the win.

32-6A

In district 32-6A, Harlingen High snapped a four game skid and picked up a 12-2 win in five innings against Brownsville Rivera.

The win gives the Lady Cards their first district win of the season and improves them to 1-4 at the midway point of the season.

Harlingen will now prepare for the second half of district play with a home game against San Benito on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Andrea Arriaga had a night to remember at the plate, hitting a grand slam in the first inning that helped spark a nine run first inning and later hit a solo homer in the second inning.

Harlingen South scored early and often against Brownsville Hanna on Tuesday. The Lady Hawks picked up a 10-0 win over Hanna and are 5-0 through the first half of district play.

South plated three runs in the first and five in the second inning. Kayla Rogers went 3-for-4 at the plate and Iliana Saucedo hit a homer for a second straight game and went 1-for-3 with an intentional walk. Alexa Saucedo who batted in the leadoff spot went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Up next is a road test at Los Fresnos to kick off the second half of district play.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN—The Harlingen South tennis team checked in another solid year at the district 32-6A meet this week.

After Wednesday’s action, the meet was forced to move from Harlingen High to Harlingen South due to rainy conditions.

After about an hour delay, South finished what they started.

South swept in the boys singles with Adrian Mungia and Victor Rinheanu finishing in first and second, respectively.

Mungia edged out his own teammate in the finals, 6-2, 6-1. Rinheanu punched his ticket to regionals in a true second match win over Los Fresnos’ Dennis Vatchev.

In girl’s singles, senior Valeria Montero won her fourth straight district title, defeating Kayla Ortiz, 6-0, 6-2..

“I don’t see this as an ending, I see this more as just the beginning,” Montero said. “Now, I have regionals up next and then hopefully prepare for state. It is a little special to win district because it is my last one, but at the same time, I expect to win district and now I hope I can do well enough to qualify for state.”

Montero is no stranger to being at the top.

Over her career, she won district as a freshman in singles, mixed doubles as a sophomore and girl’s doubles as a junior.

“I feel now that I have plenty experience going into the regional meet,” Montero said. “I know what to expect now. It is really tough from all the different schools, but again, the experience for me is what is going to help.”

In boy’s doubles, Chris Rayner and Billy Yeupell sealed their win over Harlingen High’s Dalton Mann and Luke Alvarado, 6-2, 6-1.

“We played some good doubles and played quality matches, we just needed to keep our heads in the game,” Yeupell said. “We needed to make sure to limit our mistakes and keep the ball in play and just do what we do. It was frustrating having to wait around because of the weather, but we did our best to not let that get to us and we just kept our focus.”

In girl’s doubles, South will send Autumn Turribiates and Kennedy Kibler to the regional meet. The duo picked up a win over Hanna’s Sophia Deleon and Desirae Diaz, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

In mixed doubles, Matt Cavazos and Kara LeMarr came out on top and in second place came Will Bell and Kelley Yeupell. Cavazos and LeMarr outgunned their teammates Bell and Yeupell, 6-3, 6-2.

As for the Cardinals, Mann and Alvarado qualified for the regional meet in boy’s doubles. The trip to the regional meet is a first for the duo.