By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
This Tuesday, April 9, the Port Isabel Lady Tarpons and Raymondville Lady Bearkats faced off in a key district softball game. This was the second time the teams had faced each other this season, with Port Isabel winning 14-5 the first time around.
Port Isabel’s Chelsea Gonzalez took the mound in the first inning and kept the Lady Kats at bay by only giving up a single hit. Meanwhile, the Lady Tarpons were down to two outs at the bottom of the first when Natalie Martinez got on base on a single. Gonzalez followed with a single of her own. Then, Andrea Garcia got a big hit that went down the third base line, which brought in Martinez. Port Isabel had bases loaded but could no longer score as a flyout closed out the inning. The Lady Tarpons jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the second, Gonzalez had a quick “three up, three down” inning as Raymondville remained scoreless. In the bottom of the second, Port Isabel’s Kimberly Barrera hit a long ball over the centerfielder for a standing triple. Barrera’s hit brought in another run as Port Isabel led 2-0 at the end of two.
After a scoreless third inning by both teams, Port Isabel’s Arianna Garcia, with her strategic move, got a standing double and an RBI in the bottom of the fourth. Two batters later, with her game-changing hit, Martinez hit a flyball that the outfielder dropped, and two more runs came in.
The hits kept coming as Gonzalez’s single, a crucial moment, brought in another run to make it 6-0 in favor of Port Isabel. Garcia then hit the ball for a standing double. Unfortunately, Gonzalez was thrown out at the home base for the final out, a moment that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
In the sixth inning, Port Isabel reliever Garcia, picked up her fourth strikeout since coming in the fifth inning in relief of Gonzalez. Raymondville made a final attempt to score in the seventh, but Port Isabel secured three quick outs, including an incredible pop-out catch by catcher Barrera.
The Lady Tarpons are currently third in the district behind Zapata and La Feria. Their next game is Friday, April 12, at La Grulla at 7 p.m.
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