Santa Gertrudis Academy working to find stride plus more from Day 2 of a big tourney weekend
Santa Gertrudis Academy faced the kind of test it likes at this time of the softball season on Friday.
The Lions have made a habit of playing in tournaments with larger schools, facing off against some of the best teams those areas have to offer in hopes of preparing them for future playoff contests. Friday afternoon, Santa Gertrudis Academy was down two runs to Veterans Memorial on the second day of the Mira's Bayfront Bash with the clock ticking.
The Eagles, themselves a district title contender in 29-5A, scored two runs in the fourth inning, including a sharp RBI single from Janelle Patlan. The Lions, though, scored three runs in the top of the fifth, taking advantage of two Veterans Memorial errors and then held on for a 3-2 victory when time expired.
By the time the sun set on Friday, Lions were undefeated in the tournament at 4-0 and progressing like veteran coach Thomas De Los Santos wants.
"We just need to stay positive, we just need to have great attitudes ... being able to fix our timing, being able to adjust to things and being able to catch on to (Veterans Memorial hurler Maddie Aguilar's) pitching and just stay hyped the whole time," said Santa Gertrudis Academy shortstop Adi Mireles.
Santa Gertrudis Academy opened the tournament with a win against The Woodlands College Park (13-4) and Lyford (6-4) on Thursday, and followed with an 8-5 victory against Laredo Alexander and the victory against Veterans Memorial on Friday.
De Los Santos said the squad was missing at least two key players, one was out to compete at a powerlifting meet and the other is injured, but it has offered some young players on the roster a chance to grow.
"We are young team, we had only one senior today, and two on the team but we are growing up fast," De Los Santos said. "We put ourselves in a whole bunch of different situations, ahead, behind, tied ... which is great going into district. And of course playing against a lot of good teams, a lot of the top pitchers in the area and we are competing. That is all I ask of the girls for now. Let's compete and let's keep getting better and get healthy."
Veterans Memorial, meanwhile, lost two straight 3-2 games on Friday to Santa Gertrudis Academy and San Benito, but coach Paula Salinas said she is pleased with where her team is at.
"I'm not disappointed with the at all, of course we don't like to lose, none of them like to lose," Salinas said. "But we've faced some really good teams here in the tournament, some of the top teams here. That's what we want, and we tell the girls that's what we want. And we are right there. We are just using these good teams to get us better for district."
Setting up the semifinals
• Ray will be the lone local squad in the Mira's Baseball Classic semifinals at Whataburger Field on Saturday. The Texans will take on Los Fresnos at 2 p.m. and the winner of that game will face off with Cedar Park or Baytown Goose Creek Memorial, who will play in the day's first semifinal. Ray finished pool play at 4-0 along with Cedar Park, who was also 4-0. Goosse Creek is 3-0-1, which included a win over London and Los Fresnso was 2-1-1 in Pool 5.
The championship game is set for 5 p.m. Saturday at Whataburger.
• The semifinalists for the annual Best of the Bay Tourney in Ingleside, Rockport, Aransas Pass and Port Aransas will feature teams from a cross section of classes. Host Rockport-Fulton will take on Class 2A Riviera, and the San Antonio Homeschool Wolverines will take on Boling. The championship game is set for 8:15 p.m. in Ingleside.
Points update for Mira's Bayfront Bash
After Friday's action at the Mira's Bayfront Bash, Carroll leads the point standings with 36 points. Santa Gertrudis Academy is second with 35, and Miller and The Woodlands College Park each have 32.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Santa Gertrudis Academy working to find stride at Mira's Bayfront Bash
