KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — In their 32-6A District opener the season’s first Bird Bowl didn’t disappoint the Harlingen faithful.

It took three hours and forty minutes and nine innings to decide a winner between the two rivals but it was CJ Grimaldo who provided the go ahead run, scoring Carlos Martinez.South then added an insurance run on a Dylan Carreon sacrifice fly.

The two-run frame proved to be enough, as South held on for a 7-5 win in nine innings against the Cardinals Tuesday evening at Cardinal Field.

“It was a tough game, we used some pitchers we didn’t plan on using, but sometimes you have to do those things,” said Hawks first-year coach Chris Gracia. “Tonight, the kids played together and stuck together.”

Both starting pitchers locked into a pitcher’s duel in the first four innings. Harlingen’s Justin Reta went five and 1/3 innings while South’s Mitch Stone tossed four innings. Stone exited the game in the fifth inning with a hand injury and did not return.

Prior to the injury, Stone had kept the Cardinal offense at bay with four shutout innings, fanning six, walking two and surrendering just one hit.
“All year we talked about how to handle adversity,” Gracia said. “The question is what do we do when we’re down, and tonight answered that. We didn’t put our heads down we never gave up and we came out with the win.”

South broke the score-less affair in the fifth inning with a three-run inning led by a Kike Alvarado RBI that gave the Hawks a 3-0 lead.

Harlingen quickly answered in the bottom half of the fifth with three runs of their own. After a pair of walks, John Ortega and Isaias Ibarra fueled the inning with a pair of RBIs.

The Cardinals rallied in the bottom of the seventh when Matthew Sessler drove in the tying run on a safety squeeze that tied the game at five and forced extra innings.

“This is a big win for us,” said South’s Nick Muniz. “This is one of the more crazier games I have been a part of for sure. It’s important for us to get our first district win, it keeps us one step ahead and now we have to prepare for Harlingen again on Friday.”

Both Harlingen and Harlingen South will meet again on Friday at Harlingen South and will wrap up their district meetings. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 pm.
“The new district format has its positives and negatives,” Gracia said. “We were able to come into their place tonight and get the win, that gives us an advantage, but it can go either way.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Harlingen South was not going to be denied in their 32-6A home opener on Tuesday afternoon at the Lady Hawks field. Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Brownsville Hanna had the Lady Hawks on the ropes until South’s offense opened up with a 13-run fifth inning.

The monster inning saw 13 Lady Hawks go to the plate and racked up nine hits in the frame. Despite the mid game funk, the 13-run inning was more than enough to send South to a 16-5 win in five innings and improved their record to 3-0 in 32-6A.

“I’m proud of the girls and how hard they fought,” said South head coach Elias Martinez. “We were down early and the girls displayed mental toughness and had a huge inning that put the game away.”

South will now shift their focus to Thursday’s bout with San Benito, who also won on Tuesday, setting up an early district clash between two of the district powers with both teams boasting a 3-0 record. The two will tangle on Thursday at San Benito with the first pitch set for 6:30 pm.

Junior shortstop Krystal Gonzales who made the switch from catcher to shortstop this year, stepped in and went 2 for 3 with three RBI, three runs and a walk. Gonzales bats third in the order and has provided a smooth glove and bat that has helped the Lady Hawks to a 3-0 league start.

“Heading into that fifth inning, coach Martinez wanted us to keep fighting and to keep our heads up,” Gonzales said. “We knew the game wasn’t over, we made some errors in the beginning and we knew we had to cut down on them, and at the plate we were more patient and it all came together that one inning.”

Leading 3-0 in the second inning, Hanna took advantage of a pair of walks issued by senior pitcher Kaitlynn De La Fuente. DD Guerrero laced in a two-run single that helped give Hanna a 4-2 lead. Ari Areceneaux added to the Hanna lead with a solo homer in the third inning.

Natasha Canales sparked the fifth inning rally for the Lady Hawks with a leadoff walk, De La Fuente followed with a base hit, then came the momentum shifter. Hanna intentionally walked Gonzales that sent Kytana Muniz to the plate.

Muniz made them pay with a game tying two run double, then Christina Arellano had the go ahead RBI that opened up the flood gates.

“We snapped out of a funk and Hanna came to play, they’re a well-coached team and they’re tough. It was a great win for us, any win is big for us in this district,” Martinez said.

KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star

On Friday, the Lyford Lady Bulldogs picked up another impressive win against a Class 6A club as they used a four-run first inning and a solid pitching performance from senior Evelyn Ortiz to beat La Joya 4-2.

Ortiz gave up seven hits through seven full innings of work, fanned five and allowed just two runs. She also had command of the zone on the night as she threw 20 first-pitch strikes.

Offensively, La Joya out hit Lyford 7-3, but Ortiz and Hannah Garza got a hit each and Ortiz also was credited with an RBI in the win.

Lyford will now host San Diego on Wednesday before its district opener against Monte Alto next Friday at home with first pitched scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

HARLINGEN HIGH: The Lady Cardinals picked up their first District 32-6A win on Friday and it was also the first league win for first-year skipper Nora Aguilar.

The Lady Red Birds completed an 11-0 shutout win over Brownsville Rivera and evened their district record at 1-1 through the first week of the district season.

Carla Arellano led the offense for the Lady Cards with a 3 for 4 night at the plate. Arellano collected three doubles and three runs. Leadoff batter Eneli Garza, meanwhile, went 2 for 4 with a triple and run scored.

Harlingen will now prepare for Weslaco High, which is 2-0 in league play.

HARLINGEN SOUTH: The Lady Hawks are off to a hot start as they beat Harlingen on Tuesday then blew past Los Fresnos 11-0 on Friday. They are now 2-0 in 32-6A with Brownsville Hanna and San Benito coming up this week.

In its two games, South’s offense has outscored its opponents 25-1. Against the Lady Falcons both Krystal Gonzales and Kaitlynn De La Fuente belted a pair of homers. Gonzales finished the night 2 for 3 while De La Fuente went 2 for 4.

Much like Tuesday, De La Fuente dominated in the circle for the Lady Hawks on Friday as the righty twirled another complete-game gem, striking out five and allowing just one hit through five innings.

OTHERS: Rio Hondo picked up a 16-3 win against La Feria on Friday to improve to 3-0 in District 32-4A play. The Lady Cats will next host Grulla on Monday and then travel to Hidalgo on Wednesday. La Feria, meanwhile, will look for its first league win when it faces Raymondville on Monday. The Lionettes will wrap up their spring break with a game against Progreso on Wednesday. Finally, San Benito earned a 6-4 win in eight innings against Weslaco East on Friday. The Lady Hounds are now 3-0 in 32-6A play with Brownsville Rivera up next on Tuesday then Harlingen South at home on Thursday.

KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star

LA FERIA — After a gut-check win against Raymondville earlier this week, Rio Hondo didn’t waste time on Friday night against La Feria.

The Lady Cats plated seven runs in the first inning and leaned on senior pitcher Annie Alvarado en route to a 16-3 win in five innings.

With the win, the Lady Cats improved to 3-0 in District 32-4A play and will now meet Grulla on Monday then travel to Hidalgo on Wednesday.

“Getting into district play, we have a goal and that is to be the best team in 4A,” said Rio Hondo coach Brett Esparza. “That has been a goal we have been striving for, size or age doesn’t matter. The young girls we have right now are getting it done. They are starting to become believers and we got healthy.”

Nayeli Garcia got the offense going in the first inning with a leadoff single. Bianca Cruz got on base on an error, setting the table for Alvarado and Abbie Torris. Both Alvarado and Torris drove in runs making it 4-0.

The Lady Cats sent 12 batters to the plate and was highlighted by a Garcia two-run single that pushed the lead to 7-0.

In the circle, Alvarado cruised through the first three innings, pitching a shutout along with a no-hitter. Alvarado’s first blemish came on a solo home run by Serena Rivera that put the Lionettes on the board.

Alvarado finished with five strikeouts through five innings of work while yielding just five hits.

“I executed my pitches and I thought I did really well,” Alvarado said. “I used my curve and rise ball much better tonight. I used my changeup and they got a hold of one and hit a homer, but outside of that I did well.”

Rio Hondo added to its lead with a pair of three-run innings in the third and fourth inning. In her second game back from an injury, senior Bianca Cruz continued to swing a hot bat. In her first game back against Raymondville, Cruz collected three hits and on Friday she went 1 for 2 with a run and RBI.

April Adames also made her return to the lineup Tuesday and on Friday went 1 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and run scored.

“We came to the park tonight ready to get after it,” Esparza said. “La Feria is a tough team and they’re a well-coached team. The first inning kills momentum for the other team and they (La Feria) hit the ball well, but it’s tough to come back after a seven-run first inning so we getting ahead early was big for us.”

KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star

SAN ANTONIO — All season long, the Santa Rosa Warriors had battled against the odds.

After advancing to the state semifinals last season, no one expected them to make a return trip this year, especially after a somewhat slow start to the 2017-18 campaign.

But the team didn’t listen to the naysayers and went on to win another district title and qualify for another postseason.

Once in the playoffs, that’s when the Warriors suddenly came to life and rolled to yet another state final four.

On Thursday afternoon, the Warriors showed their fighting spirit as they over-came an 18-point deflect in the second half of their Class 3A state semifinal against Mount Vernon.

Senior Ryan Perez hit a big 3-pointer then Jay Guerra followed that up with a steal that Perez laid in for a basket to cut the lead to one at 53-52 with 3:01 left in the contest.

Unfortunately, that was as close as the Warriors got. Mount Vernon’s Brandon Aguilar drilled a 3-pointer of his own that put the Tigers up 56-52 and sealed the Warriors’ fate in a 63-54 loss in front of a boisterous and supportive Santa Rosa crowd at the Alamodome.

“The kids kept fighting like they have all year,” said Warriors coach Johnny Cipriano. “Some shots didn’t go our way and we made some noise, but it wasn’t enough. We knew (Brandon) Aguilar was their (Mount Vernon’s) shooter and he kept getting open, and I wanted to focus in on him, but he still managed to make big shots toward the end.”

The Warriors, who were making their fifth state tournament appearance, finished the season with a 24-15 record.

Santa Rosa fell behind early 10-0 and couldn’t find its rhythm in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Tigers shot an impressive 58 percent from the floor and drilled four 3-pointers in the opening period.

“We started off slow and a lot of us played scared, and that hurt us in the beginning and that al-lowed them to get a big lead,” said senior AB Lo-zoya. “In the second half we settled down and played our game, but we came up just short.”

Lozoya finished the game with team high 20 points and was the Warriors’ go-to guy in the second half.

One difference that allowed the Warriors to make the comeback was points off turnovers. The Warriors scored 20 points off of turnovers and 14 of those points came in the fourth quarter.

In the final period, the Warriors outscored the Tigers 22-13 and refused to back down. Adam Cavazos hit a pair of 3s that cut into the lead at 52-43 midway through the quarter. Lozoya then followed with a pair of free throws that cut the lead down to 52-47 with four minutes left.

“We’re not the biggest team out there, but we have the biggest heart,” Cipriano said. “What they did today was what they have been doing all year and I’m proud of them.”

Senior Ryan Perez, who transferred to Santa Rosa last year from Gonzales, finished with 14 points as he wrapped up his short but successful run as a Warrior.

“Playing for Santa Rosa has been great; they were like family to me,” he said. “I thank Coach for giving me the opportunity to play on such an amazing team.”

KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star

SAN ANTONIO — Warriors senior point guard AB Lozoya stands at 5-foot-2. But don’t judge him by his small frame as the speedy and quick-handed athlete defines the odds in a game that is judged by height and strength.

Over the past four years, Lozoya played with heart and never let the doubters get to his head.

In the regional quarter-finals against Corpus Christ London, he scored a career high 40 points that sent the Warriors to the Region IV-3A tournament where against Marion in the semifinals he only scored three points in a thrilling 37-35 victory.

The next day against San Antonio Cole with a trip to the state final four on the line, Lozoya showed just how much heart he has as he delivered a 34-point outburst in a 80-66 rout of the Cougars.

“It was great playing for Coach Cipriano,” Lozoya said on Thursday after the Warriors’ loss to Mount Vernon in the Class 3A state semifinals. “It was a great ride playing with this team. I know in a few years these boys will be back.”

Lozoya, who was a four-year member of the varsity squad, won a district title each of his four years and reached the state tournament in his final two years.

In the final minutes against Mount Vernon on Thursday, Lozoya fouled out late but only after pumping in 20 points, pulling down three rebounds, nailing four 3-pointers and recording six steals. Afterward, he received a hand shake and high praise from Tigers head coach Joe Thomas.

“He told me he loved the way I played and that I was an excellent player,” said Lozoya of Thomas. “It means a lot to receive praise from another coach because I know when people first see me they don’t think much, so it’s special to hear that from other coaches.”

KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star

The Santa Rosa Warriors basketball season came to an end Thursday after a 63-54 loss in the Class 3A state semifinals.

Despite the loss, it was a heck of a postseason ride the Warriors took and senior Ryan Perez played a vital role for the Warriors during that run.

Against Marion in semifinals of last week’s Region IV-3A tournament, Perez scored 23 points including an unforgettable buzzer beater that sent the Warriors to the elite eight. And against San Antonio Cole in the regional final, Perez’s hot hand continued as he scored 18 points.

Finally, against Mount Vernon on Thursday, Perez wrapped up his Santa Rosa basketball career with a 14-point performance.
For his tremendous efforts, Perez is the Valley Morning Star boys Player of the Week.

“Winning player of the week is an honor,” he said. My teammates are proud of me to receive the award. All season long, I had my team’s back and they had mine; it has been a great season.”

Perez, who was a transfer this past offseason from Gonzales, filled in and played a vital role for the Warriors.

“Playing for Santa Rosa has been great, they were like family to me,” Perez said. “I thank Coach for giving me the opportunity to play on such an amazing team.”

KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star

SANTA ROSA — The Santa Rosa Warriors are back in the UIL Class 3A state basketball tournament for the fifth time in program history.

All season long, the Warriors proved their doubters wrong and if there was any doubt as to how special this year’s team is, this past weekend at the Region IV-3A tournament put all those doubts to rest.

The Warriors entered this past weekend’s games as underdogs, but came out victorious against both Marion and San Antonio Cole.

From Ryan Perez’s unforgettable buzzer beater against Marion to AB Lozoya’s 34-point performance against Cole, the Warriors have earned their spot in today’s state tournament.

“This team continues to fight,” said Warriors coach Johnny Cipriano. “They don’t give up; they have been fighting throughout the playoffs. A lot of people didn’t see us making it this far, so making it this far and back to state is special.”

The Warriors will look to slay another giant when they face Mount Vernon at 3 p.m. today at the Alamodome with a chance to secure a spot in the state championship on Saturday.

“This means so much to us to make it back to the state tournament,” Lozoya said. “After we lost last year, I thought about coming back and having a different outcome. It feels great to see all our work pay off and making it back to state. It’s extra special this year because it is my sen-ior season. I’m hoping to play with more confidence this time in the Alamodome. It will be a little bit easier to shoot there and I will be com-fortable with the atmosphere, and won’t feel as much pressure.”

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Santa Rosa defeated Bishop 75-43 in the bi-district round and then cruised past Goliad 90-61 in the area round. The Warriors followed those wins with a victory over 23rd ranked Corpus Christi London thanks to a 40-point outing from Lozoya. Then in the regional tournament, they beat Marion 37-35 and finally punched their ticket to the state final four with a 80-66 win against Cole.

Mount Vernon, which is out of District 13-3A and Region II, enter today’s game with a 34-1 record and has won 21 in a row. The team’s last loss came on Dec. 17 to Pittsburg 65-55.

Despite the Tigers’ impressive statistics, the Warriors are determined to not let that bother them.

“I do my best to keep the kids focused and level-headed and for us to keep doing the same things we did throughout the week,” said Cipri-ano. “The older guys like AB and Jay (Guerra) are not very vocal, but they lead by example.”

———–

Perez has made Santa Rosa home and is ready to lead the Warriors at state

Ryan Perez moved from Gonzales, Texas, to Santa Rosa this past summer and didn’t know what to expect.

The 6-foot-4 forward moved to the Valley to spend his senior season with his family and decided to join the Warriors basketball team.

Ironically, basketball wasn’t Perez’s first love. Football is his true passion. Perez idolized quarterback Peyton Manning and was dead set on becoming a star on the gridiron.

However, he soon realized football wasn’t the sport for him and was encouraged to try basketball.

“At first, I did not like the idea of playing basketball,” Perez said. “People wanted me to try it out because I’m tall for my age. It was difficult to learn the game and I had the ugliest shooting form. I would even get laughed at because of how bad my shot looked.”

Despite the slow start to his hoops career, Perez was determined to adjust his game and go all in over the summer when he joined the Warri-ors summer league team. That is where he met teammate AB Lozoya, Jonah Agado, Chris Flores and the rest of the Warriors.

“He (Ryan) is very fundamentally sound,” said Warriors coach Johnny Cipriano. “It took him a while to find his role and learn the system. He needed time to learn and see where he fits in, and it took us longer than we thought, but we’re gelling and clicking at the right time. We had a few close calls in district play, but as a team we’re playing at a high level right now in the playoffs.”

Perez found his role on the team and the chemistry began to click, especially during the postseason.

“The team accepted me as one of its own,” Perez said. “When I first moved here, I didn’t understand their lingo or inside jokes. Over time, I caught on and learned and now I’ll even crack a joke with them these days. Moving here to Santa Rosa has been great and I have fallen in love with the city, and I feel like I have lived here my whole life.”

And if Perez wasn’t considered a true member of the community, his performance at this past weekend’s Region IV-3A tournament changed all that.
Perez’s last-second, game-winning bucket against Marion in the regional semifinals made him a legend and endeared him to not just those in Santa Rosa, but the entire Valley.

“After the shot, people have been telling me how awesome it was,” he said. “They have been giving me all the credit, but I tell them it was all my team that helped me set up that shot. We did it as a team and we still have some unfinished business this weekend.”

Perez and the Warriors will play for a shot at the 3A state title game today against Mount Vernon.

“This playoff run has been fun,” Perez said. “It’s special to me because this is my first time experiencing the playoffs and being able to make the state tournament is special. We were not expected to make it this far, but we have to keep fighting with our underdog spirit.”

KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star

District play began Tuesday night for 32-6A and the Harlingen South Lady Hawks got their season off on a high note with a 14-1 six inning win over Harlingen High.

The Lady Hawks used a four-run fourth and a five-run sixth inning to secure the victory.

South will play at Los Fresnos on Friday while Harlingen will host Brownsville Rivera on with the first pitch set for 7 p.m.

SAN BENITO: The Lady Hounds’ Eliana Carrizales pitched a complete-game shutout with two strike outs in a 10-0 win in five innings against Los Fresnos.

It wasn’t until the fourth and fifth innings when the Lady Hounds’ bats woke up after only leading 1-0 through three innings. San Benito put together a five-run fourth inning followed up by a four-run fifth. Deztiny Hernandez went 2 for 3 at the plate in the win.

San Benito will now seek a 2-0 league start when they travel to Weslaco East on Friday.

“Overall our hitting came in one right after another,” said San Benito coach Denise Lira. “We didn’t leave anyone on base and our pitching did really well and our defense backed our pitching up. This is a tough district so any win is a good win especially to start out the district season.”

RIO HONDO: The Lady Bobcats picked up an important 6-4 District 32-4A win against Raymondville on Tuesday to improve to 2-0 in league play with La Feria up next on Friday.

Freshman hurler Kelsey Pizarro pitched a complete game while fanning seven batters. Bianca Cruz made her return to the lineup and col-lected three hits while Annie Alvarado and Abbie Torris drove in a pair of runs in the victory.

KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star

HARLINGEN — With Tuesday’s temperatures dropping, Harlingen South senior pitcher Kaitlynn De La Fuente’s arm heated up.

The righty tossed a gem, going six innings while fanning eight batters and yielding one unearned run en route to a 14-1, six-inning win against Harlingen High in the teams’ District 32-6A opener.

The Lady Hawks (1-0) will now meet Los Fresnos while the Lady Cardinals (0-1) will host Brownsville Rivera on Friday.

“Everything was working for me tonight,” said De La Fuente. “My curve was working and I was able to throw off a few girls. I used my changeup and screw ball; overall it was a solid performance. It’s important for us to get this win and start strong in district play.”

South racked up its 14 runs on 13 hits with big innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

“It was a well-played ball game; the score wasn’t as indicative of the way the game was played,” said South coach Elias Martinez. “Coach Nora Aguilar is doing a great job with her team and they’re only going to get better.”

De La Fuente was also solid at the plate as she went4 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. De La Fuente and Melba Rodriguez fueled a four-run fourth inning that put the Lady Hawks ahead 6-0.

“She (De La Fuente) was phenomenal,” Martinez said. “Right now we’re hurting, but she is stepping up big time for us and we couldn’t be more proud of her.”

The fifth inning was more of the same for the Lady Hawks. Alyssa Ledesma drove in a run on an RBI single while Kelsey Rivera swatted a two-run RBI double that put the game out of reach at 9-1.

Junior shortstop Krystal Gonzales chipped in a 2 for 3 night with a walk and two runs scored.

“It feels great to start district play with a win,” Gonzales said. “Tonight, I had a couple of hits and they came when we needed it. This district is tough and for us to get the win is big, and we are having fun. Our team is amazing and our bond is strong.”