The Natalia Lady Mustangs (14-5-2, 5-0) wrapped up the first round of 26-3A action with two rather easy victories during their week of play. Natalia hit the only “cupcake” type week of action of the first round, as they battled struggling Cole and Brooks Academy teams. The girls in blue came out, took care of business and managed to pick up run-rule victories to finish atop the competition after five games down.
Cole
March 28th, the Lady Mustangs battled relatively new Cole in softball at home. Natalia’s defense continued to have their share of problems, as they surrendered four defensive errors.
Luckily, the offense continued to produce, as they out-hit Cole 21-4 en route to a huge 17-2 home victory.
Felicia Guzman pitched 3.0 innings, allowed three hits, walked 0 and struck out five. She did give up two runs, neither of which were earned.
Dezarea Perez pitched her first inning of varsity action, allowed one hit, struck out one.
“We did what we needed to get the win at Ft. Sam,” Crowley said.
At Bat: Daniella Garza 4-4-5RBIs-3runs scored, Jasmine Gomez 2-3-1RBI, Felicia Guzman 1-2-1RBI-1run scored, Gabby Contreras 2-3-1RBI-2runs scored, Bryanna Perez 2-3-2RBIs-1run scored, JuJu Morales 3-3-2RBIs-3runs scored, Regina Garza 3-4-4runs scored, D. Perez 0-1, Caprice Sanchez 0-1-1RBI, Biviana Figueroa 3-4-3RBIs-2runs scored and Gabi Sontoya 1-2-1run scored.
Defensive Put-Outs: Gomez 5, Garza 3, D. Garza 1, B. Perez 1, Figueroa 1, Sontoya 1.
Brooks Academy
The Friday afternoon sun heated up, as did the Natalia offense for a second straight game. Natalia secured a nice run-rule road victory versus the Lady Bengals, thanks to out-hitting the black and orange 15-7 en route to a 17-4 victory.
Defensively, Natalia was improved as they surrendered only two defensive errors during the contest as Brooks gave up three.
Dezarea Perez got the start on the mound, as she pitched 5.0, allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out four in the game. The freshman allowed four runs, three of which were earned.
“It was good to get girls in various positions for a second straight game and still come away with a solid victory,” Crowley said.
At Bat: Garza 2-4-1RBI-3runs scored, Gomez 3-3-4RBIS-1run scored, Sam Sanchez 1-1-1RBI-1run scored, Contreras 1-1-1run scored, B. Perez 0-2-2runs scored, Morales 1-3-2runs scored, R. Garza 3-3-1RBI-3runs scored, D. Perez 0-3-1RBI, Sanchez 2-3-2RBIs-3runs scored and Figueroa 2-4-1RBI-1run scored.
Defensive Put-Outs: Gomez 4, D. Perez 4, D. Garza 2, B. Perez 2, Morales 1, Figueroa 1.
Upcoming Games
On press night, the Natalia Lady Mustangs battled the Jourdanton Squaws on the road in a huge game for the 26-3A title. A victory over Jourdanton would pave the way toward a district title, as a loss could result in a possible co-district title depending on the results from the remainder of the games.
On Friday, April 7th the girls in blue will welcome the Karnes City Lady Badgers to town who enter the contest tied with Poth for 3rd/4th seed in 26-3A. This district battle is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. first pitch for the varsity.
On Tuesday, April 10th, the Lady Mustangs have their final true challenge in district with a huge road game versus a Poth squad who gave Natalia a run for their money during the first round of district.
This contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. first pitch and as always, the varsity game could always start a bit earlier or later than scheduled.
By Eric Smith
Staff Writer