Harlingen is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Tuesday. They will head out on the road to challenge the Veterans Memorial Chargers at 6:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
It was a proper cat-fight when Harlingen faced off against Valley View on Wednesday. Harlingen was the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Valley View. With that win, the Cardinals brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
Amaris Gomez and Vivian Garcia were a major factor no matter where they played. On the mound, Gomez tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Meanwhile, Garcia tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: 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 was Garcia's first of the season.
Zuelly Cruz
| 03/12/25 vs Valley View | 5 |
| 02/15/25 @ Mercedes | 3 |
| 03/07/25 vs La Feria | 2 |
| 02/27/25 vs Ray | 1 |
| 02/14/25 vs Alexander | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Zuelly Cruz, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and one stolen base. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI. Makayla Gonzalez was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Harlingen always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Veterans Memorial). They blew past Hidalgo 19-1 on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Camila Olvera made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck 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.
In other batting news, Veterans Memorial got a massive performance out of Itzel Rodriguez, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Gia Perez, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
Harlingen's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-8. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Veterans Memorial, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-11.
Harlingen's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's contest. Harlingen has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Veterans Memorial, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Harlingen continue to outrun the ball?
Harlingen couldn't quite get it done against Veterans Memorial when the teams last played back in April of 2016 as they fell 5-1. Can Harlingen avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
