Softball Game Preview: Harlingen South Hawks vs. Smithson Valley Rangers

The Harlingen South Hawks will take on the Smithson Valley Rangers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

Harlingen South is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They had just enough and edged out Flour Bluff 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hawks have posted since February 14th.

Jaylin Mata and Georgia Chapa did most of the damage at the plate: Mata went 2-for-5 with four RBI and two runs, while Chapa got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs and one RBI. That's the most RBI Mata has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Angela Perez, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Smithson Valley waltzed into their game on Saturday with 19 straight wins... but they left with 20. They beat the Bobcats by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-3.

Smithson Valley pushed their record up to 22-1 with the victory, which was their 13th straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Harlingen South, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-6 record this season.