HARLINGEN — Last season the Harlingen Cardinals struggled through a tough season.
But so far this year, the Red Birds seem to be on the rise as they entered their District 32-6A schedule against Brownsville Rivera at home on Tuesday with a very respectable 7-2 record.
And after a strong outing by ace Jaedon Wynn, the Cards are now 8-2 and, more importantly, 1-0 in league play as they beat the Raiders 4-1.
The Cardinals scored a run in the first inning, two in the third and another in the fourth to ice the game.
“We had a good game, Jaedon Wynn threw an excellent game only giving up one run while getting nine strikeouts,” said Harlingen head coach Bryan Aughney. “On the flip side their (Rivera) pitcher threw well, too and kept us off balance. Lucky for us we got some key hits with guys in scoring position and we were able to get some runs.”
Things didn’t start too well for Rivera pitcher Steven Domanski. After walking Harlingen’s leadoff hitter Kenny Reininger to start the game, Domanski threw a ball to first baseman Jose Hernandez in an effort to pick off Reininger. However, the ball sailed wide allowing Reininger to reach third.
With one out and a full count on the board, Boedy Flores sacrificed to deep center field allowing Reininger to score and give the Cardinals the early lead.
In the bottom of the fourth inning with runners on second and third, Cody Garcia blasted a deep ball to right-center driving in designated hitter Alex Hinojosa and pinch runner Mario Hernandez.
Down 3-0 in the top of the fifth with bases loaded, the Raiders got one back after leadoff hitter Raul Gonzalez scored Aaron Lerma, cutting Harlingen’s lead to 3-1.
But in the bottom of the sixth Harlingen’s Hinojosa smashed a ball to deep left field that eventually led to the Cardinals’ final run.
“It’s always good to get that first district win and we have some good opponents coming up against Brownsville Hanna and San Benito. We definitely need to continue to get better and push that envelope,” said Aughney.
Harlingen plays at the Weslaco ISD Invitational this week before getting back to district action on next Tuesday at Brownsville Hanna.