Sports

Corpus Christi --- The first trip ever to the area playoffs for the Hondo Owl softball team proved to be a little overwhelming Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8.

The Owls lost a pair of one-sided battles to Lyford, in the schools’ best-of-three playoff series, 6-1 on Friday and 9-1 on Saturday.

Hondo’s season concludes with a mark of 19-12, including the school’s first-ever softball bi-district championship.

Lyford, now 25-2 on the year, will face Robstown in a best-of-three regional quarterfinals series this weekend.

In Friday’s opening contest at Calallen High School, the Owls’ spotted the Lady Bulldogs a run in the top of the first, before matching in the bottom of the inning. A walk to Abigail Ytuarte, followed by three straight errors put a run on the board, but Hondo left the bases loaded, and the score stayed tied, 1-1.

The rest of the way, however, Hondo collected only three more hits and a walk off Lyford pitcher Katrina Zamorano. And the Lady Bulldogs’ defense helped by committing no further errors in the last six innings. Zamorano finished with ten strikeouts, fanning the side in both the fourth and seventh innings.

Lyford scratched out a victory, with two runs in the third, and one each in the final three innings.

Zamorano retired the Owls in order to start Saturday’s game. Then the Lady Bulldogs’ bats went to work, collecting five first-inning hits on the way to a 5-0 lead.

Hondo got one run back in the second with three straight hits from Allison Perez, Desiree Dupont and Cassey Oranday. But Lyford retired the next 13 batters in order as they built a 7-1 lead after five.

The Lady Bulldogs added two runs in the sixth.

Hondo threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but the game ended on an infield grounder.