Sweet Seniors
an Benito veterans help Lady 'Hounds get back to Sweet 16

Armando Garza/Valley Morning Star
May 14, 2008 12:07 am

SAN BENITO - The San Benito Lady 'Hounds have been here before.
Well, some of them have. Now all of them are.
And that "here" is the Class 5A regional semifinals, where they fell to San Antonio Taft in 2006 and where they'll face Austin Bowie this weekend in the Alamo City.
So yes, the group has been here and done this. Now they want more for themselves and their teammates.
San Benito (27-6) opens a best-of-three set against state-ranked Austin Bowie (27-3) in hopes of reaching the regional final for the first time in school history.
"Going to the Sweet 16 is an experience they'll never forget," San Benito head coach Elias Martinez said. "Being back two years later, from a coach's point, it's phenomenal.
"And for the girls, this is what they've talked about. Getting into the playoffs and going as deep as they can, matching and surpassing how far this team has gone."
And one of the reasons the Lady 'Hounds have come this far is a core of seniors. While not the most vocal, the group has set an example on the field while each is just one of the girls in the dugout.
Outfielder Sadie Sanchez, first baseman Itchy Sauceda and second baseman Blanche Treviño were each sophomores back in '06. Junior third baseman Tanya Parra was also on that team as a freshman.
So with all four back for another go in the Sweet 16, they know what to expect and pass on to the rest of the young Lady 'Hound squad.
"There's definitely a little more pressure (this round)," Sauceda said. "We're not on our home field and we're playing against a tough team.
"But we tell them (rest of team) that if we work together, have fun and make the routine plays, it can be a close game."
Though each of the senior starters has contributed at one point or another, no one has been bigger this postseason than Sauceda.
Known for her catchy nickname, Sauceda has also made a name for herself with some clutch hitting and all-around solid play.
And she wants to keep on playing.
"I don't want it to end this week," said Sauceda, who earned her nickname by scratching at her thigh due to uncomfortable baseball pants when she was younger. "I want to keep playing so I can be around my team for another week."
Sauceda has smacked game-winning hits twice this postseason.
Against Eagle Pass in the area round, Sauceda drove in both San Benito runs, including the game-winner in the ninth inning as the Lady 'Hounds swept the series.
Then in last week's one-game playoff against PSJA North, Sauceda calmly hit a hard shot to shortstop, enabling Parra to score and win it 3-2.
"Itchy has always been a clutch hitter for us and a tough at-bat," Martinez said. "But come playoff time, especially this year, she's stepped up her game big-time."
Treviño's been clutch too.
She whacked a shot to shortstop, which allowed Parra to score and the Lady 'Hounds won their bi-district game against Harlingen, 1-0, also in the bottom of the seventh.
"Blanche has been solid," Martinez said. "When she's struggling at one part of her game, she picks it up somewhere else."
And Sanchez has been on base nearly all of those aforementioned times.
"She's got tremendous speed," Martinez said of Sanchez. "She just puts down the ball and runs."
So everybody's been chipping in from this senior group.
While the seniors have been the quiet leaders for the Lady 'Hound, they're also down-to-earth enough to interact with the rest of the roster, which is comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores.
"They've always been that way," Martinez said of the senior trio. "They don't lead by words, but rather than by example."
Cohesiveness has also been key thanks to great interaction with seniors and underclassmen alike.
"It's helped a lot that the team is really close," Sauceda said. "The team is young, and everybody gets along. We're a team, but it's more like we're a team of friends."
The winner of this series will take on either La Joya or Smithson Valley next week in the regional finals.

Article taken from RGV SPORTS on 05/15/08