By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
Harlingen South is hitting its stride as it prepares to host defending District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos tonight.
The Hawks (6-2-1) outscored their opponents in the Knights of Columbus Tournament 39-8, culminating in a 15-5 win over Mercedes in the championship game Saturday.
Harlingen South coach Chris Gracia said the tournament was a good opportunity for his team to keep its arms fresh and bats and defense sharp before beginning district play.
“Every single player on our team was able to play and contribute to winning the tournament championship,” Gracia said. “We dropped the championship to Mercedes last year, so we came together with the common goal of getting back to the championship game and proving that we were ready to get them back this time around.”
The Falcons (7-4) have notched victories over Brownsville Pace, La Feria and Rio Hondo. At Mira’s Baseball Tournament in Corpus Christi, Los Fresnos went 3-2, topping Del Rio 7-4, Bishop 5-4 and El Paso Hanks 8-4. Los Fresnos lost 5-1 to Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial and 5-4 to Elgin.
Gracia said the challenge of facing the Falcons to begin their district schedule will be a good test for his Hawks.
“This will be a great benchmark of where we stand with our goals of competing for a district championship and making the playoffs,” Gracia said. “Los Fresnos is always at or near the top of our district, so being able to open the district season competing against them will tell us a lot about where our team stands and what we will need to improve on to achieve our goals. The kids have been working hard for this opportunity all offseason so we are excited to finally get to go out and put our product out on the field against one of the better teams in the Valley.”
All 32-6A games are scheduled to start at 6:30 tonight. San Benito plays host to Harlingen High, and Brownsville Rivera plays host to 2018 area finalist Brownsville Hanna.
DISTRICT 32-5A
Play in 32-5A is scheduled to begin March 12.
Brownsville Lopez will wrap up its non-district schedule at 7 p.m. Friday at Donna North and play host to Edcouch Elsa next Tuesday in its district opener. The Lobos won the La Joya Tournament, beating San Benito 6-5 and defeating host La Joya High 12-4.
Brownsville Porter plays host to Lyford tonight and will compete in the PSJA Tournament that runs Thursday through Saturday. The Cowboys will hit the road to face Donna in its first district matchup.
Brownsville Pace will play host to rival Brownsville Veterans Memorial at 7 p.m. to start their district slate. The Vikings earned a pair of victories over La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and lost to Grulla and Palmview in the La Joya Tournament. Pace has scheduled its alumni game for 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The Chargers held practice Monday after their game against Roma was canceled due to cold temperatures.
Brownsville Veterans went 3-0-1 in pool play in the Sharyland Hardball Classic, where Jorge Lozano tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout in a 3-0 win over Sharyland High.
DISTRICT 32-4A
District play in 32-4A begins tonight, with games scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Rio Hondo senior pitcher/shortstop Cross Gonzalez was named to all-tournament team at the La Joya Tournament, where the Bobcats (6-4) went 2-2. After Rio Hondo dropped its first game 13-4 to La Joya High, the Bobcats bounced back to defeat Houston Sam Houston 4-3 and 7-4 in their second matchup with the Tigers.
During the weekend, Gonzalez went 5-for-10 with three RBIs, three runs scored, a hit by pitch and a stolen base. In 2 2/3 innings pitched, Gonzalez struck out three batters and did not allow a run or a hit to collect a save in an 8-0 win over PSJA Southwest.
The Bobcats open their district schedule at home against Hidalgo.
La Feria defeated Brownsville St. Joseph 15-1 and lost 9-1 to Falfurrias in the Knights of Columbus Tournament. The Lions travel to Progreso to begin district.
Port Isabel plays host to Raymondville to start the district slate.
DISTRICT 32-3A
District play in 32-3A won’t start until March 26.
Lyford suffered its first loss of the season to rival Raymondville 7-0 last Friday, and the Bulldogs (5-1) will look to rebound when they travel to play Porter at 6 p.m. tonight.
Lyford’s non-district schedule continues with contests at 6:30 p.m. Friday at La Feria, and 11 a.m. Tuesday at Edinburg High.
Santa Rosa’s Monday game against PSJA Southwest was postponed due to weather. It will be made up at 7 tonight. In the Knights of Columbus Tournament, the Warriors lost 6-3 to La Villa and topped Edinburg IDEA Quest 7-3.