Diablillas Mestizas de Hondzonot fall one out short of softball crown in Nuevo León

The Diablillas Mestizas de Hondzonot returned home with a runner-up trophy after coming within one out of a softball title in Hidalgo, Nuevo León, before a two-run rally in the final inning.

Hondzonot is a small Maya community in the municipality of Tulum, and its women's softball team traveled north to test itself against some of the most experienced players in the Mexican game. The roster is widely known as the Diablillas de Hondzonot, a group that drew national attention for competing in the traditional dress of Maya women. This time the story was the scoreboard, and it ended one out from a championship.

The Diablillas Mestizas de Hondzonot open with a rout

Manager Manuel Jiménez said the team opened the four-team tournament with a 10-2 win over the Diablas. The game started even. Then Hondzonot took advantage of its chances at the plate, stretched the margin, and closed it out with room to spare.

A quadrangular puts four teams in a short, high-pressure bracket, where a single bad inning can end a run. The Diablillas avoided that trap in the opener, and the result carried them into the final with momentum and the sense that they could compete with anyone in the draw.

One out from the title before a 6-5 loss

In the championship game, the Diablillas faced the Águilas, a team built around veteran players, including members of the Molina family, some with experience in national selections and professional competition.

The difference in résumés did not show on the field. For most of the final, the trophy looked like it was heading to Quintana Roo. Hondzonot led almost from start to finish and reached the last inning with the win nearly in hand. Then, one out from the title, the Águilas pushed across two runs to win 6-5.

Jiménez said the final score did not diminish what his players showed. He pointed to their composure, their discipline, and the level they sustained against rivals considered among the strongest in the field. The team collected the runner-up trophy, and Jiménez said spectators applauded the Diablillas through their games for the intensity they brought to the diamond.

A tour of the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame

The trip was not only about the tournament. During its stay in Nuevo León, the delegation from Quintana Roo visited the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in Monterrey, where the players received a guided tour of the museum.

The institution posted photographs and a welcome message for the visitors on its official channels. Jiménez called the gesture a form of recognition for the effort the team had put in, on the field and off it.

Jiménez said experiences like this one do more than fill a trophy case. They help the players develop, he said, and they carry the name of Hondzonot and Quintana Roo into competition beyond the peninsula. Whether the near miss in Nuevo León brings more invitations at that level is the question the team takes home alongside its silver.

Should teams like the Diablillas Mestizas de Hondzonot get more backing to compete outside Quintana Roo? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.