Despite blasting four home runs, Panthers fall to Harlingen South in second-straight game
By Michael Adams
madams@austinsportsjournal.com
SAN ANTONIO – The Liberty Hill Panthers flexed their muscles.
However, Liberty Hill couldn’t overcome timely mistakes despite four players belting home runs over the outfield wall at the Northside ISD softball fields in San Antonio on a hot Saturday afternoon.
Temperatures on the field reached 120 degrees, according to measurements by Northside ISD staff.
Harlingen South (35-4) took advantage of four Panthers errors to defeat Liberty Hill 14-9 in Game 2 of a Class 5A-Region 4 championship series and advance to next week’s UIL state softball tournament.
After Harlingen South took a 3-1 lead through two-and-a-half innings, sophomore Makayla Mendoza belted a three-run home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the third to give Liberty Hill a 5-3 lead through three innings. Mendoza’s homer came after Addison Shifflet scored on a Hawks error.
Harlingen South tied the game with two runs in the top of the fourth inning and then extended its lead in the fifth with a six-run barrage.
Liberty Hill (28-10) didn’t go away quietly.
Junior Addison Shifflet led off the bottom of the firth inning with a solo home run over the centerfield wall. Shifflet’s homer was followed by a two-run blast by sophomore Maddie Kingslien that plated Mendoza.
Harlingen South extended the lead back to six runs in the top of the sixth with two runs coming off Liberty Hill errors and another on a wild pitch.
Cadence Wiese hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Panthers could climb out of its six-run hole.
Freshman Bella Nicholson took the loss in the circle, giving up eight earned runs and 10 hits in four innings pitched. Nicholson struck out three batters and walked five.