KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN — Game 3 of the Class 6A bi-district series between Harlingen South and PSJA Memorial provided plenty of twists and turns, and was a thriller roller coaster battle.
Like they have all season, the Lady Hawks didn’t fizzle or fade when they fell behind; they simply dug in and fought back.
South held off a late PSJA Memorial rally to win 7-6 and clinch the series 2-1 to advance to the area round where they will have a rematch against South San Antonio.
“Talk about perseverance and never quitting even with your backs against the wall,” said South coach Elias Martinez. “We kept our cool and didn’t panic. We went down 3-0 and I told the girls we could come back; we have done it before. It took us a while to get going; it was just a chain reaction, back and forth. I’m proud of my girls for how hard they fought back.”
A three-run home run by Victoria Gonzalez in the first inning gave Memorial an early 3-0 lead and the Lady Wolverines held that lead until South answered with a two-run fourth and eventually took a 4-3 lead in the fifth on a RBI double by Krystal Gonzales.
“I’m really excited right now,” Gonzales said. “I love the game and we never gave up; we fought and fought. They (PSJA Memorial) kept their pitches outside, and we finally got it down and hit the ball when we needed to.”
South’s lead didn’t last long, though, as in the top of the fifth Memorial’s Gonzalez hammered a two-run homer that gave the Lady Wolverines a 5-4 advantage. The long ball was her second of the night as Gonzalez drove in five runs for Memorial.
South countered with Natasha Canales’s RBI single that tied the game at 5 in the bottom of the sixth. Then Kaitlynn De La Fuente drove in the go-ahead run on an error by the right fielder as South regained the lead at 6-5. Alyssa Ledesma provided the insurance with an RBI of her own that made it 7-5 through six innings.
“It took us a while to get going. We had already faced that pitcher, so tonight was about making some adjustments,” said Martinez. “We played some great defense. Our girls have been making plays all year from top to bottom. They have all come through in big spots. They have been here before and they’re cool under pressure.”
The Lady Hawks rebounded after a tough 11-6 loss in Game 2 on Friday.
“I had my team there to talk me up,” said De La Fuente. “It’s all mental toughness and we showed that all season, and showed it throughout this series. Tonight it came down to who wanted it more and we came out with the win; we really wanted this win.
“As a senior it means so much. We want to keep playing and I want to keep playing with this team. We’re excited to have another week of softball.”