The Wylie softball team improved to 2-0 in District 4-5A play with its second crosstown win in as many weeks, following last Tuesday’s 3-2 triumph over Abilene High with a 13-3 victory over Cooper on Thursday Cougar Field.
The Lady Bulldogs scored in every inning but one, using a five-run fourth to break open a 3-1 game before putting the finishing touches on a dominant effort with a four-run top of the seventh.
The victory, which featured 14 hits, including five for extra bases, improved Wylie to 17-5 overall, while Cooper fell to 9-14-1 on the season and 0-2 in league play.
“I thought it was good,” Wylie coach Heather Collier said of her team’s performance. “It’s hot today — there’s no breeze — and I think it’s always hard any time you’re playing familiar opponents. We always have good games when we play each other and this was no different.
“It was just trying to get in a groove, our pitchers doing their job hitting their spots and just hitting like we want to and taking care of business. So I’m glad we strung it all together for a good seven innings.”
Wylie scored single runs in each of the first three innings to take a 3-0 lead, getting an RBI single from Cameron Gregory in the first, a run on a double steal in the second and run-scoring double from Shyla Thompson in the third.
Cooper finally got on the board in the bottom of the third, taking advantage of three two-out walks by Lady Bulldogs starter Avie Faries, when Mya Chavez greeted reliever Halli Russell with an RBI single to right. It was the Lady Cougars’ first hit of just three for the game.
Up 3-1 after that, Wylie took control in the top of the fourth, plating five to push their advantage to seven runs. After the first three runs came home on a pair of Cooper miscues, the Lady Bulldogs got back-to-back RBI singles from Wynslow Miller and Thompson to take an 8-1 lead into the fifth.
“Every inning we went out there and we scratched for at least a run,” Collier said. “That’s something you’re always trying to do, but when you look up on the board and you see it, you’re like, ‘OK, we’re just going to keep chipping away and keep adding to (the lead).’
“We’ve been hitting well, and it’s contagious one way or another, so it was good to finally break the game open to where everybody’s like, ‘OK, it’s my turn to get the center of the ball.'”
The score remained 8-1 until the sixth, when Cooper answered a sac fly by Thompson with a two-run blast to center by Payton Ellis to pull within 9-3. But Wylie responded with four runs in the top of the seventh, getting a solo home run by Mycala Reed and a three-run shot by Miller to stretch its lead to a game-high 10 runs.
Gregory had a team-leading three hits to pace Wylie’s 14-hit barrage, while Reed, Russell, Miller and Thompson each had two hits. Reed, Olivia Volz and Miller all scored two runs, while Miller led all players with four RBIs, followed by Thompson with three.
Cooper, meanwhile, got one hit apiece from Emma Ruiz, Chavez and Ellis.
Russell earned the win in the circle for the Lady Bulldogs, allowing two runs over 4.1 innings on three hits and four walks while striking out eight. Faries pitched 2.2 hitless innings, but walked six to go with her four strikeouts.
“Avie and Halli have done a good job all year. We’re just trying to pinpoint what can we do to really help ourselves to throw like we want to from start to finish,” Collier said. “They both have had really good games and they both have had games where we’ve really had to make adjustments and try to figure out, ‘OK, how can I help my team do what we need to do and not put so many on base?’
“That’s something they want to be very intentional about, and they spend a lot of time at their craft. We’re going to continue to improve in that area.”
Ellis took the loss for Cooper, surrendering eight runs (three earned) in five innings on 11 hits and two walks. Abbey Alvarado relieved the freshman in the sixth and allowed five runs (four earned) over the final two frames.
Up next for Wylie is a big district home game against Lubbock Monterey on Saturday. Cooper will be idle Saturday, before returning to action March 19 with a road date at Monterey.
“It’s hard when you play a local opponent and then you’re open and you play a local opponent and then you’re up against someone you’re very familiar seeing,” Collier said. “But we’re very happy with this win and we want to build on some things that we know we need to improve on if we’re going to continue to win games in our district.”
DISTRICT 4-5A
WYLIE 13, COOPER 3
| 123 | 456 | 7 | — | R | H | E | |
| Wylie | 111 | 501 | 4 | — | 13 | 14 | 0 |
| Cooper | 001 | 002 | 0 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Avie Faries, Halli Russell (3) and Cameron Gregory. Payton Ellis, Abbey Alvarado (6) and DeLeon. W — Russell. L — Ellis. 2B — Wylie: Mycala Reed, Gregory, Shyla Thompson. HR — Wylie: Reed, Wynslow Miller; Cooper: Ellis.
Records — Cooper 9-14-1, 0-2; Wylie 17-5, 2-0.