DAVE FAVILA | Valley Morning Star
Last week, three Harlingen-area softball teams entered into the second round of the playoffs. And while it wasn’t a cakewalk, all three ballclubs survived the weekend and are now set for the regional quarterfinals.
In Class 4A, the Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats rallied from an 11-2 deficit to beat Devine 13-12 in a one-game playoff this past Friday at Tuloso-Midway High School.
Senior Bianca Cruz led the way for the Lady Cats with a 4-for-4 performance that included a two-run game-tying double. Freshman Domo De Jesus, who was 2 for 4, then drove home the winning run.
Rio Hondo returns to T-M this weekend to begin a best-of-3 series against Cuero. First pitch for Game 1 is at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Game 2 begins at 5 p.m. Saturday with Game 3 to follow 30 minutes afterward, if one is necessary.
Meanwhile in Class 6A, the San Benito Lady Greyhounds needed three games to get past San Antonio Southwest in order to return to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
After winning Game 1 of the series 3-2 on Friday, the Lady Hounds dropped Game 2 and trailed by two runs after five innings in Game 3. However, a seven-run sixth inning sparked by Audrey Huerta and Deztiny Hernandez pushed the Purple and Gold to a 10-4 victory and the 2-1 series win.
The Lady Hounds now face Eagle Pass in a best-of-3 series with all games at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. Game 1 is at 5 p.m. Friday and Game 2 begins at 2 p.m. Saturday with Game 3 to follow, if one is necessary.
Finally, the Harlingen South Lady Hawks pulled off a miraculous come-from-behind victory in a one-game playoff against South San Antonio on Saturday.
After letting a 4-2 lead slip away, the Lady Hawks entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 5-4. However, Alyssa Ledesma led off the inning with a leadoff single then Christina Arellano came to the plate and belted a two-run home run to propel the Lady Green Birds to a 6-5 win.
Next up for South is a home game against Edinburg Vela in another one-game playoff. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. Friday at Lady Hawk Field.