By Art Tanney
Special to the NEWS
Anticipating a competitive season with pressure to build on the successes of the previous, San Benito’s varsity softball team delivered a jaw-dropping last minute finish in their season opener, coming from behind in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Corpus Christi Eagles 10-9.
The Lady Greyhounds trailed the entire game while the Eagles scored in all but one inning. At its worst, the score was 8-3 and the only sounds at the top of the sixth were the cheers from the Eagles’ bench. Solid hitting late in the game by the Lady Hounds helped chip away at the deficit and by the bottom of the 7th, they were only down by 3 runs.
Encouragement and hitting tips from the coaching staff of San Benito resulted in 5 runs to end the night.
New coach Denise Lira was proud of her squad after the game. “They showed heart and fight,” she said but she admitted that the biggest challenge facing the team this season would be staying healthy. The team is already dealing with injuries and, “we’re piecing things together,” Coach Lira continued saying that she already has “girls in different rotations.” She also noted that the team would be working on developing more consistent hitting.
“We have to do it quicker,” she told her team. “Not after 4, 5, or 6 innings.” The new coach made sure to note how proud she was of the team for fighting back till the end.
Coach Lira spent over 12 years at the collegiate level. When asked what she was most looking forward to about coaching at the High School level here in San Benito she replied, “The girls want to improve. They aren’t settling for anything.”
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