For the first time this season, Veterans Memorial will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup on Tuesday. They will be playing at home against the Harlingen Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Veterans Memorial is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Hidalgo with a sharp 19-1 victory on Friday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Chargers with their most commanding win of the season.
Camila Olvera made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). What's more, she gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest she's had since back in February. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February.
In other batting news, Itzel Rodriguez was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Gia Perez, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
Veterans Memorial was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. They are 6-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Harlingen, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They were the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Valley View on Wednesday. The Cardinals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by seven runs or more this season.
Amaris Gomez and Vivian Garcia made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Gomez pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Meanwhile, Garcia pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances. At the plate, Gomez scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Garcia went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that Garcia hit this season.
In other batting news, Zuelly Cruz was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and one stolen base. That home run was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Makayla Gonzalez, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
The win made it two in a row for Veterans Memorial and bumps their season record up to 7-11. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to strikeouts: they averaged an imposing seven strikeouts in those games compared to only 3.19 in the others. As for Harlingen, their victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-8.
Veterans Memorial was able to grind out a solid win over Harlingen in their previous matchup back in April of 2016, winning 5-1. Will Veterans Memorial repeat their success, or does Harlingen have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
