The Harlingen South Hawks will head out on the road to take on the Harlingen Cardinals at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Harlingen South is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Harlingen will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Harlingen South extended their winning streak to three on Friday. The Hawks never let Donna get on the board and left with a 6-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won 11 games by six runs or more so far this season.
The result came thanks to Richard Pizano's shutout, as he gave up just seven hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Josh Ruiz was excellent, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Kris Cruz, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Friday Harlingen sidestepped Veterans Memorial for a 1-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cardinals.
The result came thanks to Ernesto Aleman's shutout, as he gave up just a hit. He is becoming a predictor of Harlingen's success: when he allows at most two hits the team is 2-1 (and 9-10 when he doesn't).
Harlingen South's win was their ninth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-5. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.9 runs over those games. As for Harlingen, the win got them back to even at 11-11.
Harlingen's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Harlingen South hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .336. It's a different story for Harlingen, though, as they've only averaged .244. Will they be able to contain Harlingen South's hitters?
Harlingen South was able to grind out a solid victory over Harlingen in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
