Southwest’s PONY champs reach semis for for first time since 2011

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A delay of nearly two hours, fallout from afternoon storms Friday, gave Southwest plenty of time to overthink its good fortune — and endanger its status.

Fortunately for the Dragons, they were aware of the potential pitfalls associated with getting an early lead in a best-of-three series. They had been in Steele’s situation in the previous round.

“You just try to stay focused,” Southwest junior shortstop Kristal Salinas said. “Judson kind of relaxed in the second game, and we came back and had a big inning. We got them. You’ve got to keep that in mind all game long.”

Salinas drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first inning to add fuel to a rally that gave the Dragons (31-9) a three-run cushion, exactly as the Knights (19-14) had done Thursday. Southwest never lost its lead and completed a sweep of their District 28-5A rival with a 6-3 victory in the Class 5A Region IV quarterfinal series.

“We take losing really hard,” said Southwest senior pitcher Kamerie Vidales, who authored the complete-game win. “It’s almost more than we enjoy winning. As of right now, we’re going to stick together, no matter what – win or lose.”

The Dragons advance to play San Benito (27-4), which downed Los Fresnos 7-0 Friday in a one-game quarterfinal playoff. Interestingly, Southwest met San Benito in a regional-semfinal series in 2011, when Vidales and her classmates were freshmen. It was the only previous time that Southwest qualfied for the semifinals.

The Greyhounds swept postseason series against Southwest in 2010 and 2011. In their last meeting, then-freshman pitcher Amber Jasso limited the Dragons to two runs.

It has been a long, hard climb for Southwest to get back to that point, despite remaining one of the San Antonio area’s best programs.

“This team has been together a long time,” Salinas said. “We won three national championships in the PONY league, but we kept running into obstacles in the playoffs in high school. We weren’t able to get past the second round.

”It’s amazing.”

The Dragons scored fewer than 10 runs for just the second time in seven postseason games this year. Vidales kept Steele scoreless over the last five innings.

“Ever since we lost to South San (March 13),” sixth-year Southwest coach Sandy Hernandez said, “we’ve learned that we have to score as many runs as we can. We took control on the mound. That was the difference in this game.”

Southwest scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, after Salinas notched a leadoff single.

Two runs scored on throwing error on Kayla Arguello’s grounder. Vidales made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly

“It wasn’t as much stress,” Salinas said. “They started off 3-0 (Thursday). But you can’t let your guard down. You’ve got to keep going.

“There was not one point where we didn’t. They’re a good team. Everybody is in the playoffs.”

The Knights tied it in the second inning.

Steele’s first run scored on a bases-loaded walk to freshman Savanna Bonola. Amanda Thacker brought in the Knights’ last two runs with a single to left-center. Steele left two runners on base.

Vidales also stranded a runner at third in the fourth inning and left the bases loaded in the fifth after Mersadi Garcia wedged a two-out single through the infield.

“Kam stepped up,” Hernandez said. “She did a great job of getting out of that bases-loaded situation. She was just big. I knew I could count on her to come to play.”

Southwest took the lead in the bottom of the second on doubles from Miranda Gonzales and Salinas (2-for-4, RBI).

Vidales led off the third with a single to center field. With one out, Caitlin Terrazas drove a home run over the left-field fence. It was her ninth home run of the season, but just the second of the series for the Dragons, who hit three in the decisive game of their area-round set against Judson.

The Knights manufactured one last potential threat, but an outstanding defensive play helped Vidales escape without giving up a run.

Alexis Walkden led off the sixth with a base hit down the left-field line. Thacker (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) sent a double to the center-field fence. Steele had two runners in scoring position with no outs, and Walkden made a break for the plate.

A relay throw from Southwest senior center fielder Liz Phillips to Salinas to senior catcher Gabby Flores prevented the run. Vidales retired the last four Knights batters in order.

“I know, in yesterday’s game, we didn’t show what we could do until the end,” Vidales said. “I tried to stay focused the whole game. You never know what can happen at the end.”

It would be easy to characterize Southwest-San Benito as power hitters versus slap hitters, but the Dragons coach indicated that would be an oversimplification.

“Elias Martinez is still coaching them and they’ve still got Amber Jasso,” Hernandez said, “but she isn’t pitching this year.

“They’ve still got some good bunters, but they have some good hitters, too. They can do it all. We have to be ready for anything.”

The regional semifinal series will be played entirely at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The first game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday. If necessary, two games will take place on Saturday. Game 2 is set for 2 p.m. The third game would take place 30 minutes after its completion, if it’s required to determine a winner.

The Greyhounds were tied for 10^th in the most recent Texas Girls Coaches association state poll. Southwest was unranked.

Vidales remembers the 2011 series against San Benito, although it isn’t a fond memory.

“It was a hard series,” the senior said. “We kind of fell apart. We came at them with what we had, but we came up short.”

Mental toughness has been Southwest’s calling card this season.

Junior drives in three during decisive seventh-inning rally

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This year’s Southwest team may not be as dominant as some of its predecessors, but it may have an intangible on its side that’s capable of propelling the Dragons as far.

That hard to define trait manifests itself as an ability to manufacture of inspriation when their backs are against the wall. The Dragons (30-9) did it again in their Region IV quarterfinal series opener Thursday at the Northeast ISD complex’s east field, scoring seven runs in the top of the seventh to turn a deficit into an 11-9 victory over District 28-5A Steele (19-13).

Junior second baseman Yanira Fernandez provided the spark three times in a span of about half an hour. The first was a diving stop that prevented a Knights run in the bottom of the sixth, which helped senior pitcher Kamerie Vidales escape a bases-loaded jam. She batted twice in the seventh, belting a home run and driving in the two runs that signified the margin of victory.

“It was a little bit difficult,” Fernandez said, of her defensive play with the Knights leading 5-4. “I just focused on getting the runner out.”

Game 2 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight at the SAISD Mary Ann Villarreal Complex on Field No. 1. A win would put the Dragons in the regional semifinals for the first time since 2011 and second time in school history. A third game would take place 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Northside ISD Field No. 2, if necessary.

The series winner will play the Los Fresnos-San Benito winner. Those teams meet in a one-game playoff at 7 p.m. tonight at San Benito. The Dragons have played San Benito twice in the postseason during Southwest coach Sandy Hernandez’s six years at the helm.

Fernandez (3-for-5, 3 RBIs) hits fifth in the Southwest order between power hitters Vidales (11 home runs) and Caitlin Terrazas (8 home runs). The junior is more of a gap hitter, but she got a little extra on her tying drive to left-center for her first home run since April 17.

The date is significant, because it accounted for the Dragons’ run in a 4-1 district-finale loss to Steele.

“When one of us hits, it’s like starting a train,” Fernandez said. “It starts a train reaction. It’s good that we have a team that can do something like that”

Her fourth home run of the season was followed by a pair of outs, which delayed the reaction. The Dragons got new life when Miranda Gonzales drew a walk and Amanda Sanchez was safe on a dropped popup.

The next five Southwest batters recorded hits.

“They refuse to lose,” Hernandez said of her team. “We go 16 deep. I knew if I one could get a hit, the next one could go in there and get a hit.”

Junior Kristal Salinas (2-for-4, RBI) drove a two-run single to left and ran aggressively on senior Liz Phillips’ double to left-center field. Kayla Arguello added a single that increased Southwest’s lead to 9-5.

An opposite-field double from Vidales meant that six-consecutive batters had reached base. Fernandez drove in the Dragons’ last two runs with a single to right.

“That was the only thing stuck in my mind,” Fernandez said. “I needed to get the team two more runs.”

Hernandez wasn’t surprised by Fernandez’s heroics, although she is known more for quiet contributions. She threw out a runner at the plate for Steele’s second out in the sixth after stopping a would-be base hit from No. 3 hitter Alexis Walkden.

“The biggest thing is that YaYa never really plays scared,” she said. “She made the pick up and made the play. Then she came back and made two shots. She drove that one over the fence and then that single.

“She’s a silent killer.”

Steele, which had led 5-3 in the bottom of the third, wasn’t done scoring.

The first three Knights batters reached base ahead of an infield fly. The batter was out, but runners could advance at their own risk. Two scored, cutting the Dragons’ lead to four.

No. 9 hitter Jenelle Pence and freshman Savanna Bonola produced back-to-back RBI singles before Vidales was able to record the last two outs.

Steele drew five walks and used a sacrifice fly to score three runs and chase Terrazas from the pitcher’s circle in the first. Runs were scored on a bases-loaded walk to Miranda Holguin, a sacrifice fly from Knights pitcher Jennifer Hittinger and a passed ball.

The Dragons closed to 3-2 in the second when two runs scored when Sanchez’s ground out was misplayed. Southwest tied it on a third-inning throwing error as Steele attempted to turn a double play.

A sacrifice fly from Holguin and an error brought Steele a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the inning.

Southwest answered in the fifth, when Vidales (3-for-5, RBI) drove a run-scoring single.

“I we they were going to have a big inning,” Hernandez said, “though I’d like it to be in the first five or so. But I knew eventually we’d come together and get it done.”

Judson can’t contain Southwest’s offense in area round

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Like an iceberg, there’s much more to Southwest’s potent hitting attack than the part you see at the surface.

The impetus behind the Dragons’ run-scoring machine is a combination of hard work and determination. Factor in the experience that comes with seven fourth-year varsity players, and it’s easy to understand how Southwest (29-9) is capable of burying opponents.
The Dragons, No. 4 in the final Express-News area rankings, did just that to No. 2 Judson (28-8) over the last two contests in their three-game Class 5A area-round series. The Rockets won the opener 8-4 last Thursday. Southwest showed its resiliance with a 14-4 win on Friday and a 14-7 decision on Saturday.

“Our team is made up of nothing but hitters,” said Southwest senior Kamerie Vidales, who popped a solo home run and a three-run shot in the series finale. “Hitting is our team right now.”

Judson got the crucial hits in the series opener, including an RBI single from Brenda Iparraguirre (3-for-4, 4 RBIs) in the three-run fourth inning and her two-run single in the sixth. Southwest led 2-1 in the second when senior Amanda Sanchez’s two-out single was misplayed for two errors. The Rockets’ tied it on Nicole Shedd’s RBI double and kept the hits coming at the Northeast ISD Complex east field.

“I’ve worked very hard on (my change-up),” Judson pitcher Michelle Iparraguirre said. “That was very important to our game plan, which was to keep them off-balance.”

A double to the right-field fence from senior Kayla Arguello (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) drove in Liz Phillips in the fifth brought the Dragons within 6-3. Arguello also supplied an RBI single in the seventh.

“(Iparraguire) mixed the curve in and kept us off-balancee,” Southwest coach Sandy Hernandez said. “She held us to five hits. That’s got to be the fewest this year.

“We’ll have to break down it down to see what we can do to hit her better.”

Southwest responded with a 10-run, second-inning bonanza after the Rockets grabbed a 3-0 lead in Game 2 at Villarreal Field No. 1. Winning pitcher Caitlin Terrazas hit the Dragons’ only home run among their 13 hits over six innings.

“I feel like we’re more of a team,” Vidales said, comparing this year’s Dragons to recent seasons. “We’re not a one-person show. From freshman year to now, we’ve built relationships that can’t be broken.”

Judson forged a 3-0 lead over the first three innings in Game 3 behind a home run from Caitlin Mora and an RBI single from Brenda Iparraguirre. The Dragons’ comeback also was built around the long ball.

“I couldn’t ask anything more as a coach,” Hernandez said. “All 16 of them stepped up a little bit. In the dugout, everybody was together. When we come together, we’re tough to beat.”

Senior Kristal Salinas provided an RBI single in the bottom of the third. Vidales’ first home run cut the deficit to a run.

“Honestly, I didn’t go up trying to hit a home run,” Vidales said. “I was trying to bring runs in. She kind of threw it over the middle, and I took it out.”

Singles by Yanira Fernandez and Miranda Gonzales helped Southwest gain a 4-3 lead after four innings at Northside ISD Field No. 1. Vidales’ second home run, and 11^th of the season, made it 7-4. The Dragons’ lead grew by two more runs with help from a Fernandez double.

The Rockets closed to 9-7 in their half of the sixth on a three-run homer from Shedd. That merely set the stage for Terrazas’ game-clinching grand slam.

“It was a great feeling,” Terrazas said. “It didn’t matter what the score was. In the box, I knew what I was looking for. I just stuck to the plan.

“It felt just awesome. I was just looking for something to drive. I guess (Iparraguire) missed her spot.”

Arguello lined a leadoff single and Vidales, who had homered in two previous plate appearances, was issued an intentional walk. The bases were loaded after Fernandez singled to center field.

“Getting those extra insurance runs really helped,” Terrazas said. “I always pitch well when I have some cushion. It’s always a contagious feeling when we’re hitting and scoring.”

Southwest kept pouring it on.

A walk to Gabby Flores and singles from Sanchez and Kristal Salinas re-loaded the bases. Phillips worked a base on balls for an RBI and a 14-7 lead.

Terrazas retired the first two Rockets batters in the seventh. Following a single from Alexis Eleman, the junior induced a ground out to end the series.

“I would have to say (it’s) our work ethic,” Terrazas said, explaining the Dragons’ offensive success. “We spend a lot of time on hitting.

“We know, at this point in the playoffs, there’s pressure, but we know we’ve got to do this. We don’t have

many distractions because we love to do this. That’s what makes us so strong at the plate.”

The Dragons reached the Region IV quarterfinals for the first time since 2011, when they advanced to the semifinals.

Southwest will play District 28-5A rival Steele (19-12) in the best-of-three series, which begins Thursday with a game at the NEISD east field. Friday’s game is at Mary Ann Villarreal Field No. 1. The series will shift to Northside ISD Field No. 2 for Game 3 Saturday, if necessary.

“We definitely respect everyone we go against,” Terrazas said. “We can’t let our guards down. We have to keep our team grounded.

“Our team has come together well. We just have to play our best. It’s a matter of executing and contributing.”

Southwest was the district champion with an 8-2 record. Rapidly improving Steele (4-6 in district) was the No. 4 seed.

“I always knew they were good,” Hernandez said. “They’ve got (Jennifer) Hittinger on the mound and (Alexis) Walkden) is a great player. We respect every team equally and prepare for every team equally.”