About the only thing that didn’t go right for the Abilene High softball team on Friday night was when the Lady Eagles attempted to dump a water cooler over coach Jenna Bane’s head following the game.
Senior Devany Chacon hit a two-run home run as the Lady Eagles sent their five seniors (four players and a manager) out with a 13-0 win over Lubbock Coronado in their final home game wearing black and gold.
The win was also the 100th of Bane’s seven-year coaching career.
“Thank gosh they picked the weak kids because they only got my back and they didn’t get my head,” Bane said of the victory celebration. “I’ve been blessed with great kids for seven years, and this year I’ve got one of the best staffs I’ve ever had.”
Friday’s game saw freshman Avah Reyes dominate in the circle, limiting the Lady Mustangs to one hit and one walk while striking out four on just 45 pitches. She worked quickly, enabling her defense to stay locked in and make plenty of plays.
It was a stark contrast to how things went for the Lady Eagles early in the season.
“She doesn’t typically walk a lot of batters and places the ball very well, keeping hitters off balance,” Bane said. “We are a very young defense and struggled early in the season with errors, but we have matured and gotten experience and now they know what they can do and that someone will have their back if they mess up.”
The Lady Eagles scored in all four of their trips to the plate on Friday and, dating back to Tuesday’s 11-0 win over Lubbock High, have now scored in eight consecutive innings.
The streak nearly ended in the first inning, but Kinzley Cantu had a two-out RBI single to open the scoring. Two batters later, Mariah Estrada had a two-run triple to center for a 3-0 lead.
It didn’t take nearly as long for AHS to get rolling in the second inning.
Chacon reached on an error to start the frame and then Samantha Olguin (walk) and Tea Jimenez (bunt single) both followed by reaching base to load them for Brie Reed.
Reed delivered a two-run single through the left side of the infield to make it 5-0 before stealing second base. Jimenez and Reed then scored on a triple by Amyah Starks. Cantu finished the inning’s scoring with a sacrifice fly.
Jimenez had a two-out RBI double in the third to make it 9-0.
In the fourth inning, Marissa Cardenas had a two-run single immediately preceding Chacon’s blast to left field.
“(Chacon’s) been doing a great job and puts in the work,” Bane said. “She stayed after (practice) every day this week and she’s going to take advantage of opportunities. She’s always ready to go when we need her to go. She’s had a rough deal with injuries but got her a home run on Senior Night.”
DISTRICT 4-5A
ABILENE HIGH 13, LUBBOCK CORONADO 0
| 123 | 45 | — | R | H | E | |
| Lubbock Coronado | 000 | 00 | — | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Abilene High | 351 | 4x | — | 13 | 11 | 0 |
Jordan Faust, Layla Jiminez (2) and Aryah Barrera. Avah Reyes, Julessa Guajardo (5) and Makayla Gutierrez, Devany Chacon (5). W — Reyes. L — Faust. 2B — Abilene High: Tea Jimenez. 3B — Abilene High: Amyah Starks, Mariah Estrada. HR — Abilene High: Chacon.
Records — Lubbock Coronado 13-16, 2-8; Abilene High 24-5, 8-3.