Payback- Lady ‘Hounds defeat O Connor, earn trip back to Elite 8!

By ARMANDO GARZA
SPECIAL to the NEWS

After suffering their first loss in at least three months, the Lady ‘Hounds came back with a vengeance on Saturday, defeating San Antonio O’ Connor in two games to win a best of three series and advance to the Elite 8 round of the state playoffs.

In the first game, San Benito stranded 10 base-runners, including the bases loaded in the final stanza, as San Antonio O’Connor earned a 3-0 win at Calallen High School.

The Panthers jumped ahead early with two runs to start the game. Khylea Davila stepped up and slammed a two-run triple to put O’Connor up 2-0 against Lady ’Hound starter Crystal Castillo. Later in the third, Davila came through again with what would be an insurance run when she singled home Kyndall Teague.

Those were the only blemishes against Castillo, who scattered six hits and struck out six on the night. She definitely settled down after that and got good defense behind her to help the cause.

The timely hitting, however, simply was not there Friday night.

In the early innings, the girls had runners on but couldn’t scratch a run across against O’Connor starter Kelsie Stone, who allowed seven hits and struck out 12 Lady Hounds.

The stinging blow came in the seventh inning as the girls loaded the bags with one out. But Stone got two huge strikeouts, the final one taking the air of out of the San Benito comeback sails.

“We didn’t capitalize on our opportunities,” San Benito skipper Elias Martinez said. “But Game 1 is over and we can’t dwell on it. We need to shake this one off and get ready for game 2,” he said Friday night.

And get ready they did!

In game two the next day, the Lady ‘Hounds defeated O Connor 8-1, and then finished them off in game three with the final score of 8-4 to improve to 28-1 overall, and advance to the Elite 8 once again.

San Benito will now play New Braunfels, where a win could put them back in the state tournament, which will be only the second time the team (as well as any other Rio Grande Valley softball team) has ever accomplished this feat.

Details have not yet been released as far as time and location, but should be announced Monday.