By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
Harlingen South’s Nick Muniz is making a strong case to be among the front-runners for player of the year.
The senior had a go-ahead RBI double against Los Fresnos in their district opener and a no-hitter in five innings against Edinburg Vela in the ECISD All-American Classic.
C.J. Grimaldo threw a one-hit shutout in an 11-0 win over Mission Veterans Memorial and also slugged his first career home run. The Hawks secured a third-place finish in the tournament witha 9-2 win against Mission High on Saturday, and will play host to San Benito tonight and Brownsville Rivera on Thursday.
Harlingen High opened district play last Tuesday with a 4-0 win at San Benito. John Ortega pitched a complete game, allowing just two hits in the victory. Danny Dial took the loss in six innings for the Greyhounds.
Offensive leaders for the Cardinals were Ashton Adams (2-for-3), Frank Rodriguez, (2-for-3, two RBIs) and Abraham Ibarra (one RBI).
Brownsville Hanna will look to rebound after losing to Brownsville Rivera 7-0 last Tuesday. The Eagles will play host to Harlingen High tonight and San Benito on Thursday, having returned home from a gauntlet of tough games in the San Antonio Baseball Classic against San Antonio MacArthur, Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial, Houston Lamar and New Braunfels.
Both Brownsville Rivera and Los Fresnos competed in the PSJA school district’s Mike Rodriguez Tournament, where the Falcons went 4-1, including a 6-2 win over Brownsville Veterans Memorial. The Raiders went 4-0, including wins over Brownsville Porter and Weslaco East. Los Fresnos plays host to Rivera tonight and will hit the road Thursday to face Harlingen High.
All 32-6A games begin at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
DISTRICT 32-5A
Brownsville Lopez coach Victor H. Martinez recently celebrated his 100th win with the program.
Martinez has been with the school for eight seasons and eclipsed the century mark with a 6-5 victory over San Benito in the La Joya Tournament on March 2. Last Tuesday, the Lobos players commemorated their coach’s milestone with a custom sheet cake.
Martinez is looking ahead to the start of district play tonight against Edcouch Elsa, followed by a trip to Valley View on Thursday.
“These past non-district games and tournaments have strengthened our team chemistry and polished basic fundamentals,” Martinez said. “We are very excited to start district play, acknowledging the competition in our district. The team is confident our hard work and dedication will show as the season progresses.”
Brownsville Veterans Memorial went 2-1 in the Mike Rodriguez Tournament. The top Chargers at the plate were Justin Anaya (5-for-6, four singles, a double, and three RBIs), Cristian Holloway (5-for-7, four singles, home run, two RBIs) and Rafael Capistran (4-for-7 with four singles and four runs scored).
Anaya also turned in a solid performance on the mound, allowing two hits in a win over Alice, Lorenzo Hernandez went six innings and struck out six hitters against San Benito. The pair allowed two earned runs, and the Chargers outscored their opponents 14-2 in both games.
Brownsville Porter notched wins over Grulla (13-1) and PSJA Memorial (9-4) in the Mike Rodriguez Tournament. Cesar Lartigue hit his first home run of the season for the Cowboys.
Brownsville Pace played host to rival Brownsville Veterans Memorial on Monday night to start its district schedule. The Vikings will travel to Edcouch-Elsa on Friday.
All other 32-5A games begin at 7 p.m. tonight.
DISTRICT 32-4A
After losing to Odem 10-3 in the Falfurrias Tournament on Saturday, Rio Hondo will head to Zapata for its district opener tonight and then play host to Raymondville on Friday.
Senior pitcher Daniel Garza was named to the Falfurrias All-Tournament team, allowing one earned run and five hits. Garza went 3 for 9 at the plate with a double and two RBIs for the Bobcats.
The Bearkats open district action at home against Grulla, and La Feria hosts Port Isabel.
All 32-4A games begin at 7:30 p.m. tonight.
DISTRICT 32-3A
Lyford defeated La Feria 6-3 in the Falfurrias Tournament on Saturday. The Bulldogs hit the road to face Edinburgh High at 11 a.m. today.
DISTRICT 32-2A
San Perlita rebounded from a 14-0 loss in its season opener against Freer by picking up its first win of the season on the road, 11-10 over Benavides. The Trojans will return home to play Premont tonight.