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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Stamford-Anson regional quarterfinal softball series (51 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hico-Tolar regional quarterfinal softball series (32 images)”
ABILENE — With ace pitcher Emma Follis nursing a fractured thumb, the Stamford Lady Bulldogs weren’t just missing one player heading into Game 3 of a Region I-2A quarterfinal series with Anson.
In a realistic sense, they were actually missing two. Follis is not only SHS’ top pitcher, but is one of its top hitters as well. And her absence was simply too big of a handicap as Anson closed out the series with a lopsided 12-4 win on Saturday at Poly Wells Field.
When Amyah Starks suffered a season-ending knee injury in an early-season tournament, the Abilene High softball team was forced to find a new offensive identity with their slugger sidelined.
The Lady Eagles perfectly executed their small ball mentality in a five-run fourth inning, getting just a leadoff single in the frame as they finished off a Region I-5A sweep of crosstown rival Wylie with a 6-0 win Saturday morning at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.
Despite being sidelined, Starks said she’s having as much fun this year she’s had in her four years in the program.
STEPHENVILLE — Cruising along with a 3-0 lead over Tolar through four innings, the Hico Lady Tigers had the momentum and the scoreboard in their possession in Friday’s Region II-2A quarterfinal.
Two quick swings of the bat, however, and Tolar managed to turn Game 1 of a best-of-three series completely on its ear, using two fifth-inning homers to hand Hico a 4-3 loss at Stephenville High School.
The series picks up again with Game 2 at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The series opener between Abilene High and Wylie was the pitcher’s duel many expected for 4½ innings Friday at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.
But when the Lady Eagles finally broke through against Lady Bulldogs starter Halli Russell in the bottom of the fifth, they did it big, pushing across seven runs to turn a scoreless thriller into a comfortable 7-0 win and take a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-three Region I-5A quarterfinal clash.
The victory, which improved Abilene High to 24-13-1 on the year, has the Lady Eagles within one win of their first trip to the fourth round of the playoffs since 2003 — something they’ll try to secure when the series resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday back at ACU.
Since 2018, the city of Abilene has had at least one team reach the third round of the softball playoffs every year but 2020, when no postseason was played due to COVID.
A local team has reached the fourth round of the playoffs in three of the last five completed seasons.
With Abilene High and Wylie set for a Region I-5A quarterfinals series Friday and Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field, that’s already guaranteed to happen again this season. The only question is which of those two surging teams it will be that represents the Key City in the region semifinals next week.
ABILENE — For five innings Thursday, the Snyder Lady Tigers struggled to figure out Burkburnett pitcher Natalee Gray in the opener of their Region I-4A quarterfinal series with the Lady Bulldogs.
But trailing 3-2 in the home half of the sixth after Gray had broken a tie with a solo homer in the top of the inning, coach Regina Cummings’ team finally found a successful formula against the talented right-hander.
Utilizing a patient approach at the plate, the Lady Tigers loaded the bases with a leadoff single and a pair of two-out walks and then applied pressure to the Lady Bulldogs defense simply by putting the ball in play, taking advantage of a pair of run-scoring errors in a five-run inning to key a 7-3 come-from-behind win at Abilene Cooper’s Cougar Diamond.
ABILENE — For the third round in a row, the Coahoma softball team faced a do-or-die postseason situation as the Bulldogettes had another single-game playoff on Thursday evening at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.
Coach Alex Orosco’s message to his team, as it has been before all 27 games this year, was to weather the storm early knowing they’d get Henrietta’s best punch and then to wear down the Lady Cats in the later stages.
Coahoma did just that and unleashed an offensive onslaught in the fifth and sixth innings on its way to a 7-0 win in the Region I-3A quarterfinals.
ABILENE — One club left Abilene Christian University on cloud nine. The other left wondering how an apparent victory could so easily slip away at the last second.
Trailing Anson 1-0 with two on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Stamford Lady Bulldogs were able to score two runs courtesy of an Anson outfield error to top the Lady Tigers 2-1 in Game 1 of a Region I-2A quarterfinal series.
Emma Follis delivered seven solid innings in the circle and Cassidi Macias singled and eventually scored the winning run to lead Stamford (22-8), which can close the best-of-three series with a Game 2 victory at ACU on Friday at 3 p.m.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Bangs-Stamford area-round softball series (79 images)”
ANSON — A year ago, the Anson softball team had suddenly cratered.
The Lady Tigers had started 2023 with a respectable 12-7 record but collapsed with an 0-8 tally through district. This included blowout losses to powerhouse Stamford (19-7 and 36-2), to Haskell (7-3 and 16-0) and to Hamlin (20-2 and 22-3). Thoughts of postseason play were put on the backburner as the Lady Tigers closed at 12-15.
But what a difference a year and some effective pitching can make. An influx of young talent, including the addition of freshman pitcher Kayme Elrod, has resulted in a completely different outcome.
Not only have the Lady Tigers reached the playoffs in 2024, but they’re still alive — advancing to the Region I-2A quarterfinals. There, they will square off will area rival Stamford in a best-of-three series, set to begin at 3 p.m. Thursday at Abilene Christian University.
ABILENE — With her team’s season on the line Monday in the third game its Region I-2A area-round series against Bangs, Stamford ace Emma Follis was nothing short of dominant Monday at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.
Coming off a rough 14-4 loss in Game 2 that was extended deep into Saturday night by lightning delays, the standout sophomore delivered a six-inning shutout in the decisive third game, collecting 15 strikeouts in a 13-0 run-rule victory.
The win, which improved Stamford to 21-8 on the year, earned the Lady Bulldogs a regional quarterfinal date with district mate Anson later this week.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hermleigh-Santa Anna softball (44 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Area softball playoff games in Clyde (41 images)”
Here are the recaps of the Big Country softball playoff results in the second round of the postseason: Continue reading “SOFTBALL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Despite weather, 12 area teams advance to third round with Bangs-Stamford outcome still pending”
The Abilene High and Wylie softball teams enjoyed a successful weekend, each sweeping their area-round series to advance to the Region I-4A quarterfinals, where they’ll play each other on Friday and Saturday.
Abilene High earned its second consecutive series win over a higher-seeded team, following its bi-district series victory over District 3-5A champion Amarillo High with an impressive showing against District 2-5A runner-up El Paso Ysleta. The Lady Eagles rallied past the Lady Indians for a 4-3 win in Game 1 before run-ruling Ysleta 11-1 in Game 2 to clinch the sweep.
Wylie, meanwhile, dispatched of District 1-5A runner-up Canutillo, following a 16-6 run-rule victory in the series opener with a hard-fought 7-6 win in Game 2.
The Lady Eagles and Lady Bulldogs will now meet in the third round of the playoffs after splitting their two district matchups. That series will be played at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field, opening at 6 p.m. Friday, before resuming with Game 2 ( and Game 3, if necessary) on Saturday, beginning at noon.
CLYDE — With 15 wins this year by a run-rule heading into their best-of-three series with Decatur, the Snyder Lady Tigers had not faced much adversity.
A 13-2 win in the opening game of the series on Thursday had it feeling like the Lady Tigers would roll into the third round of the Region I-4A postseason.
After storms interrupted Game 2 of the series, the Lady Eagles walked off Snyder with an Abby Steele home run for a 6-5 win on Saturday morning. Snyder, meanwhile, answered the bell with a 6-2 win in the series finale to advance to the next round.
CLYDE — Two innings into its one-game Region I-3A area-round playoff with Holliday on Friday at the Hanner Sports Complex, the top-ranked and defending state champion Coahoma softball team found itself in unfamiliar territory. The undefeated Bulldogettes were trailing on the scoreboard.
But down 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third, CHS righted the ship in a major way, putting three runners on in front of Brynn Rodgers, who blasted the second pitch she saw over the fence in center for a grand slam that turned the tide in what would eventually be a 9-3 win for CHS.
Rodgers’ blast, the senior’s first of two home runs in the game, staked the Bulldogettes to a 4-1 lead when play was stopped by lightning in the bottom of the fourth inning. And when the game was finally resumed more than three hours later, Rodgers added a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth to build a 6-1 lead that proved a far larger cushion than needed with ace Hannah Wells in the circle.
EARLY — While the Bangs Lady Dragons may have been victimized by a little bad luck on Thursday, Stamford pitcher Emma Follis only compounded their problems.
Tossing a four-hit shutout with a whopping 15 strikeouts, Follis led Stamford to a 6-0 win in a best-of-three 2A area round series at Early High School.
Follis was so dominating, she rendered numerous Stamford bloop singles a moot point. One run would have been enough.
The series will resume with Game 2 on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Abilene Christian University.
TUSCOLA — Into the fourth inning on Tuesday night, Hermleigh’s softball team had very few answers for Santa Anna pitcher Dayla Ray.
Leading 4-2 with one out in the fourth, Hallie Ellerbee reached base on a controversial infield single and it led to an eight-run inning as the Lady Cardinals bats came alive on their way to a 13-3 win in the first game of a Region I-1A quarterfinal series.
Ellerbee’s hit was one that brought the dugout to life and quickly gave confidence to the Lady Cardinal offense.
CLYDE — The Haskell softball team scored early and often Tuesday, pounding out 18 hits in just four trips to the plate on their way to a 16-0 win over Coleman in a single-game Region I-2A playoff at the Hanner Sports Complex.
The Maidens got at least one hit from eight of their nine starters and had six players notch multi-hit games, while pitcher Paige Scheets was nothing short of dominant in a five-inning one-hitter.
The victory improved Haskell to 19-4 on the year and earned the Maidens a trip to the I-2A quarterfinals, where they’ll face off with the winner between Cisco and Miles next week.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hawley-Cisco softball bi-district playoff series (75 images)”
Coming off a subpar performance in Game 1 of last week’s 2A bi-district series with Hawley, Cisco pitcher Hannah Rogers did something few expected: a complete about-face.
Rogers, who had been beaten up in an 11-4 loss on Friday afternoon that saw her allow 14 hits, quickly regained her form for Game 2 that evening. Limiting Hawley to seven hits, she led Cisco to a series-tying 5-2 win.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Snyder-Brownwood bi-district softball (52 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Bangs, Coahoma bi-district softball games (43 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Lubbock Coronado softball (29 images)”
Entering the second game of their respective Region I-5A bi-district series at Lubbock Cooper, the Abilene High softball team was hoping force a third game and Wylie was hoping to avoid one. Both accomplished their mission.
The Lady Eagles rebounded from Friday’s 5-0 loss to Amarillo High to sweep the Lady Sandies on Saturday, winning Game 2 by a 7-2 margin and taking the deciding third game 6-2, while the Lady Bulldogs backed up a 10-2 win over Amarillo Tascosa in Game 1 with a 18-4 win in Game 2 to cruise past the Lady Rebels.
With those results, both Abilene High and Wylie are headed to the area round, where the Lady Eagles will face off with El Paso Ysleta and the Lady Bulldogs will play Canutillo next week.
CLYDE — A solid pitching performance and one big inning carried the Cisco softball team to a decisive 7-2 win over Hawley in Game 3 of a Region I-2A bi-district series on Saturday at the Hanner Sports Complex
Hannah Rogers scattered seven hits over seven innings of work with four strikeouts to lead the Lady Loboes (17-8-1), who now advance to face Miles in the area round.
Along the way, seven Hawley baserunners were stranded, including three in the first inning when Rogers escaped a bases-loaded jam.
ABILENE — With their backs against the wall after dropping Game 1 of their best-of-three bi-district series to Sweetwater, the Stephenville Honeybees kept their season alive Friday with a 9-4 win at Abilene Cooper’s Cougar Diamond.
Batting to start the do-or-die Game 2, Stephenville put up two runs in each of the first two innings to build an early lead and answered any attempts at a Sweetwater comeback to pull away in the latter innings and force a deciding third game at 6 p.m. Saturday at he same site.
Mattie-Lynn Dunnam and Presley Gaitan combined to limit the Lady Mustangs to just five hits and got a big game from their lineup, which supplemented seven hits with three walks, two hit batsmen and four Sweetwater errors.
CLYDE — Carrying a huge amount of confidence after an 11-4 win in Game 1 of a Region I-2A bi-district series with Cisco on Friday, the Hawley Lady Cats seemed poised to close things out in Game 2 later that evening.
There was just one problem: Cisco never got the memo. And in a stunning reversal of momentum, the Lady Loboes captured Game 2 at the Hanner Sports Complex, 5-2, to force a decisive Game 3 on Saturday.
That will get underway at 3 p.m. at the same venue. The victor will take home a bi-district title, then advance to next week’s area round where either Ozona or Miles will provide the opposition.
Opening the playoffs on opposite ends of their district’s seeding spectrum, the Wylie and Abilene High softball teams found opposite results in their respective postseason openers on Friday at Lubbock Cooper.
Wylie, District 4-5A’s No. 1 seed, had little trouble with Amarillo Tascosa in a 10-2 victory in Game 1 of a best-of-three bi-district series, while fourth-seeded Abilene High ran into a buzzsaw in a 5-0 loss to Amarillo High.
Both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Eagles will conclude their first-round series on Saturday back at the Lubbock Cooper softball field for Games 2 and 3, if necessary.
ABILENE — With a .911 winning percentage on the season, the No. 10-ranked Snyder softball team entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak heading into its Region I-4A bi-district series with Brownwood.
The Lady Tigers also owned 9-0 and 7-1 wins over the Lady Lions during nondistrict play.
Friday afternoon at Cooper’s Cougar Diamond, Snyder made it 3 for 3 against Brownwood with an 11-1 win to take a 1-0 series lead.
ABILENE — The Sweetwater Lady Mustangs struck the first blow in their best-of-three bi-district series against Stephenville on Thursday, topping the Honeybees 5-3 at Abilene Cooper’s Cougar Diamond to pull within a win of advancing to the Region I-4A area round.
Sweetwater, District 5-4A’s No. 3 seed, scored two runs in the top of the first to take a lead it would hold the rest of the way, adding a single run in the fifth and two in the seventh to go up 5-1 before Stephenville tried to mount a rally in its final at-bat.
Pitcher Mikayla Ashley was strong in the circle, allowing just one earned run in a complete-game effort to best her counterpart Presley Gaitan and give the Lady Mustangs a chance to close out the series when it resumes at 7 p.m. Friday at the same site.
SAN ANGELO — The Bangs Lady Dragons and Coahoma Bulldogettes both opened their playoff runs with comfortable wins Thursday afternoon, easily dispatching of their opponents in lopsided fashion.
Opening the doubleheader of one-game bi-district playoffs, the Lady Dragons wasted no time in burying McCamey 22-1 win in the day’s early action. And as an encore, the Bulldogettes saw Mia Clemmer hit two home runs, including a walk-off grand slam, as Coahoma hammered Ingram Moore 17-0.
There’s a test that probably everyone who has watched a baseball or softball game on television will ace. It has but one question, the answer to which will come without the need for research — or even much thought. It goes like this:
A batter hits the ball in the air to the outfield. The announcer says, “Going … Going …”
What is the next word he/she is most likely to utter?”
If you bellowed “GONE!,” pat yourself on the back. You just completed the phrase most often associated with a batter hitting a home run. And every time you hear those first two words — when your team is at the plate — you can’t wait to hear the third, because that means you’re about to be happy.
For those keeping score at home, Colorado City’s dynamic duo of Bryanna Munoz and AJ Goodney has made Wolves’ fans VERY happy this spring. VERY often.
There’s not a coach in Bangs’ girls athletic program that doesn’t get excited about the junior class.
Leading the charge on the softball diamond is Abby Wolf, who’s shaken off an early-season knee injury and helped the Lady Dragons to a district title.
Bangs (19-8) begins its postseason journey this week with high expectations as the Lady Dragons are looking to build off last season’s regional semifinal appearance.
There is very little that Eula’s Halie Cauthen isn’t good at athletically. Already an Honorable Mention All-Big Country Preps basketball player, the EHS junior showed her full range of versatility last week with three big performances in three different sports.
To begin with, Cauthen opened the week by qualifying for the 1A state golf tournament as an individual at the regional tournament, closing with rounds of 103 and 105.
Then, after playing 54 holes of golf in three days, Cauthen rushed back to compete for the district championship in softball against Cross Plains.
With a game time of 7:30 p.m., she arrived from the golf tournament at 7:25 and went 4 for 4 with three triples, three RBIs and four runs scored to help Eula clinch the district title in a 10-1 victory.
But Cauthen wasn’t finished quite yet.
WOODROW — The Wylie softball team clinched a share of the District 4-5A title and locked up the league’s No. 1 playoff seed Friday night with a 6-2 road win over Lubbock Cooper.
The Lady Bulldogs, who closed district play on a five-game winning streak, scored the final five runs of the game to pull away for the win after the Lady Pirates had taken a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
The victory improved Wylie (24-8 overall) to 9-3 in 4-5A play, setting up a three-way tie atop the standings between itself, Lubbock Cooper (17-13, 9-3) and Lubbock Monterey (20-12-2, 9-3). But the Lady Bulldogs earned the top playoff seed by virtue of a 3-1 record against those two squads.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Stamford-Haskell softball (36 images)”
As the Hico softball team has been attempting to cap an unbeaten run in District 12-2A play this week, Lady Tigers pitcher Kiersten Fincannon has been laying the foundation on something even more remarkable: becoming a local legend.
Lest you doubt the veracity of that statement, consider how Fincannon’s 2024 season has gone so far. The last two words need to be added because Hico will begin postseason play next week as the top seed from the district, and the best may be yet to come.
Just under three weeks ago, the Wylie softball team entered its open date off a three-game losing streak that culminated in the Lady Bulldogs being no-hit in a 2-0 loss to Abilene High.
At the time, coach Heather Collier had a simple message for her squad. “Softball … can be a rollercoaster ride,” she said, adding that the key was to “hang on for it” and remain confident in the process that had helped WHS open District 4-5A play at 4-0.
If there was any question about that message or whether it was received, the Lady Bulldogs have answered it emphatically since, averaging an eye-popping 13.8 runs in their last four games — all wins.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 18.
With the end of the regular season, this will be our FINAL softball leaders posting for 2024.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
While the District 4-5A baseball race garners hype and headlines, the softball race may be just as compelling.
Wylie beat Lubbock Coronado 15-4 on Tuesday night while Abilene High knocked off district leader Lubbock Cooper 5-4, creating a logjam among the league’s four teams jockeying for playoff positioning.
Tuesday’s win by the Lady Eagles leaves them at 8-4 in district play with their season complete while it dropped the Lady Pirates to 9-2. Wylie, meanwhile, is now tied for second place with Lubbock Monterey at 8-3.
HASKELL — With the District 7-2A/1A softball standings teetering on the brink of a rare, four-way tie for the top 2A seed, the Haskell Maidens had a chance to clarify things on Tuesday if they could knock off Stamford in the regular season finale for both clubs.
It didn’t happen.
Emma Follis tossed a five-hitter with 13 strikeouts and Jasmine Whitaker had a two-RBI single in the seventh inning to lift Stamford to a crucial 3-2 win on Haskell’s home field.
With plenty of competition for the top spot, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week goes to Clyde senior pitcher Trip Ancheta.
When in doubt, a dominating no-hitter is usually a solid choice.
Ancheta did exactly that in a 14-0 mercy rule win over Grape Creek that saw him work all five innings with 11 strikeouts — narrowly missing a perfect game by one walk.
Here are the standings for all softball districts involving Big Country schools through April 14:
Continue reading “Big Country Softball Standings (through April 14)”