Author: Daniel Youngblood

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Faries dominant again as Wylie sweeps Joshua, earns trip to regional finals

GRAHAM — Junior ace Avie Faries continued her postseason brilliance Saturday, pitching Wylie to a 2-1 win over Joshua to complete a sweep of a Region I-5A Division II semifinals series and lead the Lady Bulldogs to their first regional finals appearance since 2006.

Faries, who pitched a two-hit shutout in Friday’s 4-0 win over the Lady Owls, allowed just one run on five hits and a walk in Game 2, striking out 10 to improve to 6-0 in the playoffs.

The standout right-hander saw her postseason ERA “rise” to 0.85 while keeping her WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) steady at 0.829 and improving her strikeout-to-walk ratio to an eye-popping 44-to-5.

And though she spent an inning trailing 1-0 as a result of a  third-inning solo home run by Landrie Durham, her teammates made a winner out of her with a two-run fourth inning that would ultimately clinch a trip to the Region I-5A DII championship round to face off with Fort Worth Brewer, which swept El Paso Parkland in the other semifinal series.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High drops 1-0 pitchers’ duel to Richland in series opener

STEPHENVILLE — For seven innings Thursday, Abilene High’s Avah Reyes and North Richland Hills Richland’s Stacy Jennings went toe to toe, matching each other almost pitch for pitch and out for out at the Stephenville softball field.

But a single run, scored on a two-out infield hit in the bottom of the fifth, proved the difference as the Lady Royals escaped the thrilling pitcher’s duel with a 1-0 win to land the first punch in the Region I-5A Division I semifinal series.

The two teams will return to the same field Friday for the remainder of the best-of-three affair, with Game 2 slated for 4:30 p.m. With their backs now against the wall, the Lady Eagles will be looking to rebound with a win in that one to force a deciding third game immediately after.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: Hico’s unique identity a draw for Hart, past football coaches

Hico, Texas is a special place. 

If you need evidence of that, just ask the men who have served as head football coach there over the past three decades.

Chasing them down might be a surprisingly easy task, as Hico High School has had just four coaches since 1996 — a testament itself to the unique nature of a small town and community that many have decided is worth investing and laying roots in.

This fall, Britt Hart will become the Tigers’ fifth coach in 30 seasons, joining mentors Wade Williams (1996-2007) and Keith Wood (2008-2016) and former boss Todd Swearengin (2021-2024) on the list of Hico program heads. And the special, magnetic qualities of Hico are certainly not lost on the new head man, who is back in a town and district where he student taught and spent two separate stints as an assistant.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2025 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2025 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2025 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: First-team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2025 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: Second-team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Fayetteville holds off late rally to knock off Gordon 4-2 in Class 1A title game

ROUND ROCK — A shaky start and several missed opportunities at the plate spoiled a storybook ending for the Gordon baseball team, which saw its first trip to state end with a 4-2 loss to Fayetteville in the Class 1A championship game on Saturday at Dell Diamond.

In a game that was well-pitched and cleanly played by both teams for the most part, the Longhorns fell behind 3-1 after two innings and could never get closer than that despite getting runners to scoring position in five of the seven innings.

That included a seventh-inning rally that saw Gordon plate a run to pull within two and advance the tying to run to second base with two outs, before a foul out by Evan Jackson ended the threat and the Longhorns’ best campaign in program history at 23-6.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wall blasts Thrall 14-2 to claim program’s second state championship

ROUND ROCK — In 2023, with a number of their current upperclassmen filling contributing roles, the Wall Hawks reached the Class 3A state title game only to watch another team (Boyd) leave with the championship trophy.

Last year, with a loaded roster and expectations of a Round Rock return, WHS saw its season end in a shocking area-round loss to Iowa Park. 

On Thursday, with both of those experiences serving as competitive fuel, coach Jeremy Gordon’s squad left nothing to chance against Thrall, using a four-run first inning to set a tone it would maintain for five dominant innings on its way to a 14-2 win in the Class 3A Division II state championship game at Dell Diamond.

The victory capped a brilliant 31-6 campaign for the Hawks, who claimed their second state title in their fourth state trip, joining the 2019 squad as the only other Wall team to leave Round Rock with state gold around its neck.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Gordon rallies past Hamlin in Game to complete sweep, earn first trip to Round Rock

ABILENE — After routing Hamlin 14-1 in the opener of its Class 1A state semifinal series on Thursday in Graham, the Gordon baseball team faced a much stiffer test from the Pied Pipers on Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Bullock Brothers Ballpark.

But despite trailing 6-3 after 3½ innings in Game 2, the Longhorns proved up to the challenge, rallying for a 9-6 win to complete a series sweep and lock up their first state championship game appearance in program history.

GHS, which saw a five-run Hamlin second erase an early 2-0 lead, plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to pull within a run at 6-5, before exploding for four runs in the fifth for what proved to be the game-winning rally.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Boyd uses big sixth inning to pull away from Wall in Game 2, force do-or-die Game 3

STEPHENVILLE — Hoping to close out Boyd with a sweep after downing the Yellowjackets 6-1 in the opener of its Class 3A Division II state semifinals series on Thursday, the Wall baseball team saw one bad inning eliminate that possibility in Friday’s Game 2 at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.

Trailing just 4-3 after 5½ innings with the top of their lineup due up in the seventh, the Hawks surrendered five runs in the bottom of the sixth, turning a game that was nip and tuck to that point into a 9-3 loss.

The outcome, which forces a deciding third game at 4 p.m. Saturday back at Tarleton State University, spoiled a strong start from junior left-hander Kellan Oliver, who went toe-to-toe with Boyd ace Will McIntire for five innings before handing the game over to the bullpen in the sixth. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wall overcomes shaky start to take Game 1 from Boyd, moves within win of trip to Round Rock

ABILENE — Before this week, the last memory any Wall baseball player had of playing Boyd was watching the Yellowjackets celebrate a 6-4 win over their team in the 2023 Class 3A state championship game.

On Thursday, the Hawks took a big step toward replacing that memory with a more pleasant one, downing BHS 6-1 in the opener of a best-of-three Class 3A Division II state semifinals series at Abilene Christian University’s Bullock Brothers Ballpark.

Playing for an opportunity to return to Dell Diamond in Round Rock for the fourth time in program history — all since 2017 — Wall overcame a slow start, answering a one-run top of the first by Boyd with two runs in the home half of the inning. And junior ace Gage Reichenau handled the rest, shutting the Yellowjackets out the rest of the way to put his team in position to close out the series when it resumes at 7 p.m. Friday at Tarleton State University in Stephenville.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Jonesboro rallies past Hermleigh to deny Lady Cardinals fourth straight trip to Austin

WEATHERFORD — Entering the second day of their Class 1A state semifinals series with Jonesboro one win shy of a fourth consecutive trip to the University of Texas’ Red & Charline McCombs Field, the Hermleigh Lady Cardinals saw their playoff journey end in heartache Saturday at Weatherford’s WHS Softball Complex.

Coming off a 10-8 win in the series opener Thursday at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, coach Sammy Winters’ team couldn’t close out a feisty Lady Eagles squad, losing Game 2 by a 13-3 margin in five innings before dropping a 7-6 heartbreaker in the series’ decisive third game.

With those results, the Lady Cardinals closed their season at 25-4 — one win shy of the Class 1A state championship game. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Reichenau’s gem, late offensive flurry fuels Wall past Jacksboro in series opener

GRAHAM — Locked in a pitcher’s duel that could have gone either way for six innings, the Wall baseball team finally broke through in the seventh Friday, scoring five runs off Jacksboro starter Wyatt Gavit to pull away for a 6-1 win in the opener of its best-of-three Region I-3A Division II championship series against the Tigers.

The Hawks, who trailed 1-0 after four innings at the Graham High School Baseball Field, had five of their 13 hits during the late scoring barrage, giving ace Gage Reichenau the run support needed to finish off a complete-game two-hitter with a win.

The victory puts Wall one victory away from advancing to the state semifinals with the series set to resume at 3 p.m. Saturday in Brownwood.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Brock downs district mate Graham 7-0 in one-game region final to earn state semis bid

STEPHENVILLE — Facing off with a familiar opponent in a one-game playoff for the Region I-4A Division II championship and trip to the state semifinals, Brock coach Koby Page was a bundle of nerves heading into Thursday’s matchup with Graham at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.

If his Eagles shared that nervousness, they didn’t show it, using a three-run third inning to take a lead that ace Evan O’Connor would protect the rest of the way in a 7-0 victory over their District 6-4A rival.

The win, which was punctuated by a second three-run outburst in the top of the seventh, earns Brock another week of baseball against the winner of the Region II-4A Div. II championship series between Carthage and Longview Spring Hill.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Snyder falls 2-0 to Aubrey in opener of state semifinals series

STEPHENVILLE — The Snyder Lady Tigers dropped the opener of their Class 4A Division II state semifinal series on Wednesday, falling 2-0 to Aubrey at the Stephenville softball field.

Sydnee Gomez pitched around seven hits and eight walks to limit a potent Lady Chaparrals lineup to just two runs, but SHS could never solve Aubrey starter Mya Cherry, who surrendered just three hits and three walks in a complete-game shutout.

That allowed the Lady Chaparrals to take the win with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, putting the Lady Tigers in a must-win situation when the series resumes at 7 p.m. Thursday back at Stephenville. If Snyder can force a Game 3, the series would then be decided at 2 p.m. Saturday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Snyder earns pair of one-run wins to rally past Monahans, earn spot in state semis

BIG SPRING — It took a slugfest, a pitcher’s duel and a whole lot of grit, but at the end of a thrilling Region I-4A Division II championship series, it was the Snyder Lady Tigers left standing Saturday at the Big Spring ISD Softball Complex.

Entering Day 2 of their best-of-three series with Monahans off a tough 4-3 loss on Friday, the Lady Tigers needed to take two from a strong Lady Loboes squad Saturday to extend their season and advance to the state semifinals.

While nothing about that task was easy in theory or practice, coach Regina Cummings team managed to accomplish it nonetheless, following a heart-stopping 9-8 win in Game 2 with a gutsy 1-0 victory in the series clincher to earn a date with Aubrey (31-3) next week at a time, date and location to be determined.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie baseball season comes to close with 4-0 loss to Grapevine in Game 2

GRAHAM — The Wylie baseball team saw its season come to an end Friday, falling for the second time in as many days to Grapevine in a Region I-5A Division II semifinal series at the Graham High School baseball field.

After dropping the opener 5-0 on Thursday, the Bulldogs were shut out again Friday, falling 4-0 in Game 2 to close their fifth consecutive campaign in the region semifinals.

The loss moved Wylie’s record for the year to 23-7-1, capping another successful season with a frustrating couple of days of baseball.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ira rallies in seventh to take Game 1 from Hamlin, 5-1

EULA — Leading Ira 1-0 with one out in the top of the seventh, the Hamlin Pied Pipers found themselves in position to grab a leg up on the defending state champs in the opener of their best-of-three Region I-1A semifinals series on Thursday.

But the Bulldogs turned a rare Hamlin error into a five-run rally against Ian Gruben, spoiling a stellar start for the Pied Piper right-hander in a 5-1 win.

The rally made a winner out of Ira ace Jeren Pena, who spun a gem himself, and put coach Toby Goodwin’s squad (24-1) in position to play for a sweep when the series resumes at 1 p.m. Saturday back at the Eula baseball field.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Defending state champion Ira Bulldogs sweep May with another shutout in Game 2

ABILENE — After watching teammate Jeren Pena toss a complete-game shutout against an excellent May lineup on Friday in the opener of a best-of-three area-round series with the Tigers, Brandt Cox nearly matched the feat on Saturday.

In fact, the only thing that kept him from having a chance to do so was a pitch count that was inflated in large part by 13 strikeouts.

So instead, the junior right-hander had to settle for six shutout innings and a victory, outdueling May co-ace Kobey Morris in a 6-0 win at Abilene Christian Schools’ Hudson Wade Memorial Field that completed a two-game sweep and earned the defending state champion Bulldogs a Region I-1A semifinal date with Hamlin next week at a time, date and place to be determined.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Stamford sweeps Miles to earn region semifinals date with Ropes

ABILENE — The Stamford baseball team punched its ticket to the Region I-2A Division II semifinals on Friday, defeating Miles 10-6 and 7-2 for an area-round sweep at McMurry’s Walt Driggers Field to earn a date next week with Ropesville Ropes.

SHS never trailed in Game 1, pulling out to a 9-0 lead before holding off a late Miles rally. And coach Steven Gould’s team answered a two-run top of the first by Miles in Game 2 with seven unanswered runs, including three in the home half of the first, to clinch the series in two games.

The victories pushed Stamford’s season record to 22-4, while Miles had its season ended at 8-14.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hamlin advances to region semifinals with dominant effort against Westbrook

ABILENE — The Hamlin baseball team cruised through the area round Friday, scoring a pair of run-rule wins over Westbrook at Abilene Christian Schools’ Hudson Wade Memorial Field to earn a date next week with either Ira or May.

Behind strong pitching performances by Ian Gruben and Isaiah Hutchings and a steady barrage of offense, the Pied Pipers downed the Wildcats 14-0 and 12-2 to claim their spot in the Region I-1A semifinals.

The victories improved HHS to 17-2 on the year, while Westbrook saw its season end at 7-10.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Fast start fuels Eula to 6-4 win over area rival Hermleigh in series opener

ABILENE — Kicking off a high-profile region semifinal series with Hermleigh on Friday at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field, the Eula softball team grabbed a rare upper hand on its area rival, using a three-run top of the first as the catalyst for a wire-to-wire 6-4 victory in the opener of the best-of-three affair.

With the win, the Lady Pirates snapped a five-game playoff losing streak to the Cardinals, who have eliminated EHS from the playoffs each of the last three seasons and four times total since the Class 1A bracket was introduced in 2016. 

The win also put coach Jayton Thompson’s team in a position to advance past HHS for just the second time in that span with a win in Game 2 or Game 3, when the series resumes at 2 p.m. Saturday back on the ACU campus.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Gritty Abilene High Lady Eagles open region semifinal series with walk-off win over Birdville

GRAHAM — During her time at Abilene High, coach Jenna Aguirre’s teams have won a lot of games with gritty — often excellent — pitching and an aggressive, opportunistic playing style on offense.

On Thursday, the Lady Eagles followed that same familiar formula to a 6-5 walk-off victory over North Richland Hills Birdville in Game 1 of their Region I-5A Division I semifinal series with the Lady Hawks.

Junior starter Avah Reyes bent at times in the circle against an explosive Birdville lineup that put near constant pressure on her throughout the game, but she never broke. And her lineup gave her just enough run support, winning the game on a throwing error in the bottom of the seventh after the Lady Hawks had scored three runs in the top of the sixth to knot the score at 5.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Eight Abilene High athletes make commitments official at super-sized ceremony

Eight Abilene High athletes made their college commitments official on Wednesday during a Signing Day ceremony at Eagle Gym, capping a week of signings that began Tuesday when Eagle football players Bryson Perez and Dristain Payne solidified their commitments to Hardin-Simmons University.

Kinzley Cantu (softball; Hardin-Simmons), Mason Murray (cross country/track; Baylor University); Jazlyn Ortiz (cross country/track; Franciscan University of Steubenville), Keeley Aston (soccer; Seminole State College), Laly Dehoyos (cheer; Hardin-Simmons), Rylan Stokes (baseball; McMurry University), Camp Churchill (baseball; McMurry) and John Alcantar (cross country/track; Western Texas College) all took part in the event, signing letters of intent in front of friends and family who packed the gymnasium’s lower level. 

That group gave AHS 11 signings in a two-week span, after tennis player Allie Dunn committed to Hardin-Simmons last week. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Lubbock Estacado rallies for pair of wins to slip past Brownwood in three games

ABILENE — Entering Day 2 of its best-of-three Region I-4A Division I bi-district series against Lubbock Estacado off a hard-fought 2-1 win on Friday, the Brownwood baseball team had a pair of chances to close out the Matadors on Saturday.

But after taking a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning of Game 2 and the sixth inning of Game 3, the Lions ended up on the wrong side of pair of one-run games at Abilene Cooper’s Cougar Field.

Estacado rallied for single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings in Saturday’s opener to grind out a 3-2 win and force a deciding third matchup, before using two-run rallies in the sixth and eighth innings to walk off with a 4-3 win in the clincher. Those outcomes spoiled an outstanding weekend of pitching for Brownwood, which allowed just four earned runs in 21.1 innings in seeing its season end at 13-18.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Anson outlasts Ballinger in thrilling three-game bi-district series

ABILENE — At the end of three thrilling at Abilene Christian School’s Hudson Wade Memorial Field, there wasn’t much separating the Anson Tigers and Ballinger Bearcats in the Region I-2A Division I bi-district series between the two squads.

In fact, none of the three contests had a larger gap than a single run at the completion of seven innings.

But after outlasting Ballinger for a 10-5 victory in a 10-inning marathon game on Friday, it was Anson that prevailed, rallying from a 6-5 Game 2 loss to clinch the series with a wild 9-8 win in Game 3.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hawley takes care of business against Bangs, advances to area round with sweep

EULA — A day after getting a strong start from Alek Southerland and pounding out 11 hits in a 9-1 win over Bangs to kick off their playoff run, the Hawley Bearcats put together a similar performance Friday afternoon to close out a sweep of the Dragons and advance to the area round of the Region I-2A Division I playoffs.

With Keagan Ables taking the mound for Game 2 of the best-of-three bi-district series, coach Jamie Seago’s team collected 13 hits Friday, scoring four runs in each of the first two innings on their way to an 11-0 run-rule victory.

With the win, which saw Ables pitch around one hit and six walks in 4.1 shutout innings, the defending state finalist Bearcats (16-6-2) earned a date with either Forsan or Christoval next week. Those two teams will close out their bi-district series on Saturday after splitting the first two games.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hernandez pitches Stamford to 8-1 win over Coleman in series opener

EULA — Stamford answered a one-run top of the first by Coleman with three runs in the bottom of the frame, and Alek Hernandez took care of the rest, settling in to shut out the Bluecats after that in an 8-1 win Thursday in the opener of a best-of-three Region I-2A Division II bi-district series at the Eula baseball field.

Coleman outhit Stamford 5-4, but the Bulldogs took advantage of nine walks and a hit batter to follow its big first inning with another three-run outburst in the fifth, before tacking on two more runs in the sixth. That was more than enough offense for Hernandez, who pitched around five hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts in the complete-game gem.

With the playoff-opening victory in their pocket, the Bulldogs (19-3) will now try to go for the sweep when the series resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday at the same site.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Bangs slips past Hawley in wild bi-district series, earns second-round date with Forsan

ABILENE — Less than 24 hours after Bangs opened its Region I-2A Division I bi-district series against Hawley with a decisive 17-7 victory, the Lady Dragons and Lady Cats treated those who returned to the Abilene Christian University campus for the end of the best-of-three affair to a couple of classics Saturday afternoon at Poly Wells Field.

Facing elimination after Friday’s run-rule loss, Hawley answered a two-run Bangs top of the seventh with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to walk-off with a 7-6 win in Game 2, before BHS rallied from a 6-4 deficit in the fifth inning to earn a series-clinching 8-7 win in Game 3.

As a result of those outcomes — and 14 nail-biting innings for the fans of both teams — the Lady Dragons (22-7) earned a trip to the area round to take on District 5-2A champion Forsan next week, while Hawley saw its season end in heartbreak at 14-15.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Haskell opens playoffs with dominant performance against Ballinger

CLYDE — Paige Sheets was dominant in the circle and her teammates gave her plenty of run support, scoring early and often as the Haskell Maidens opened the Region I-2A Division II playoffs with a 12-0 run-rule victory over Ballinger on Friday at the Hanner Sports Complex.

Sheets struck out 10 in a five-inning shutout, limiting the Lady Cats to just three hits, while she and her teammates roughed up Ballinger for 12 hits, including a pair of doubles and two home runs.

The end result was a thorough victory that pushes the Maidens into next week’s area round, where they will face off with Reagan County, which easily dispatched of Eldorado in its bi-district playoff.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Cooper outlasts Abilene High for 2-0 win to take season series, top playoff seed

After grinding out a gritty 3-1 win over Abilene High on Tuesday to kick off its final home-and-home series of the District 4-5A season, the Cooper baseball team won another pitcher’s duel over its crosstown rival Friday, edging the Eagles 2-0 at Blackburn Field.

Playing AHS with the season series and their district’s top Division I playoff seed on the line, the Cougars broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning, and the pitching duo of Brady Henderson and Alejandro made those hold up with a combined four-hit shutout.

Henderson pitched the first five innings for Cooper, allowing just two hits and two walks with six strikeouts, before handing the game over the Ibarra, who navigated the final two frames for the save.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Anson holds off Cisco rally to secure bi-district sweep, advance to area round

EULA — The Anson Lady Tigers punched their ticket to the area round of the Region I-2A Division I softball playoffs Thursday night, advancing past a spirited Cisco squad with a doubleheader sweep at the Eula softball field.

After surging late to pull away for a 10-3 victory in Game 1, the Lady Tigers fought off a Lady Loboes rally in Thursday’s nightcap, following a four-run Cisco seventh with a three-run top of the eighth to clinch the series with a 9-6 extra-innings win in Game 2.

Those results earned coach Mistrie Vinson and her team at least one more week together, as they’ll gear up for a second-round meeting with Colorado City, which routed Ozona 20-0 in a one-game playoff Thursday.

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