Lady Cats blast Lady Cards

HARLINGEN — The scoreboard hasn’t been installed at Harlingen’s new softball field just yet.

But the way Edinburg hit the ball Friday night, perhaps that was a good thing for the home team.

The Lady Bobcats erupted for 11 runs on 10 hits in the first inning alone and never looked back in a 17-4, 5-inning win in the first game at KEYS Academy.

Edinburg (12-1 overall, 2-0 District 31-5A) absolutely tattooed the ball, including two home runs, en route to the big win.

"It was a good win for us. Last year, they (Harlingen) beat us and struck out 18 of our girls, so it’s a big turnaround for us," Edinburg skipper Jesse Banda said. "We hit the ball hard tonight and our girls are playing well."

Harlingen (12-4, 0-2) was shell-shocked early and never fully recovered.

"They (Edinburg) are hot and they’re scoring a lot of runs. They’re a good team," Harlingen coach Lance White said. "They’ve got a lot of talent and they’re playing at a high level. We just got behind too much too early."

Edinburg sent 15 batters to the plate as they pounded out the 10 hits; all of them solid shots against Harlingen starter Maria Martinez.

Leann Hinojosa led off the game with a single. Then Tori De Leon hit a two-run blast over the left-field fence for a 2-0 lead.

Deidra Tafolla singled, and Sarina Rios doubled before Marisa Gonzalez hit a two-run single for a 4-0 Lady Bobcat advantage.

Sam Arciba got on with a Texas Leaguer that dropped into center. Then Claudia Salinas singled in Arciba. Mariah Ozuna continued the onslaught with a single and Cassie Rodriguez then singled.

All of that damage was done with no outs.

"The hits were all hard shots, and that was good to see," Banda said. "But we’ve still got room for improvement and we’re gonna keep working hard."

The barrage finally concluded after 25 minutes and the hole was too deep for Harlingen.

The Lady Cards showed no quit in the second, and Denise Cavazos walked and later came home on a passed ball. Olivia Abundis came home on an attempted steal and Victoria Garza later doubled and scored.

Later in the game, Harlingen shortstop Lynette Hernandez hit her sixth home run of the season, the Lady Cards’ first at home.

Meanwhile, White said his club would move on from the game and focus on the future.

"Our girls have a lot of heart and they’re gonna keep working," White said. "We’re just gonna keep working to get better. We’ve got a good group and we’re just gonna get ready for next Tuesday."