The Harlingen Cardinals will take on the Veterans Memorial Chargers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
While Harlingen's victory against San Benito wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cardinals skirted past the Greyhounds 5-3. The win was familiar territory for the Cardinals, who have now won three matches in a row.
Jozalin Bravo made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched 6.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. Bravo was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Amaris Gomez was incredible, firing off two home runs, four RBI, and one stolen base while going 3-for-4. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Zuelly Cruz, who went 2-for-3 with one home run.
Harlingen lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post two or more home runs.
Meanwhile, Veterans Memorial got themselves on the board against San Benito on Friday, but San Benito never followed suit. They had just enough and edged out the Greyhounds 1-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Chargers have posted since February 13th.
The result came thanks to Arianna Garcia's shutout, as she gave up just six hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Veterans Memorial's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Gia Perez, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Veterans Memorial has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-12 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.2 runs over those games. As for Harlingen, their win bumped their record up to 14-9.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Harlingen hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .379. However, it's not like Veterans Memorial struggles in that department as they've averaged .330. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Harlingen beat Veterans Memorial 11-8 in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Do the Cardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Chargers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
