Big hits lift Mustang girls over Howe
Coach praises victory as proof of Hughes Springs’ fighting spirit
COMMERCE, Texas—Hughes Springs strung the hits together when it needed and is a win away from the regional title.
The top-ranked Lady Mustangs notched four hits in an inning twice, managing just one hit in the other four innings, and answered every rally by Howe, ranked No. 7, during an 8-3 victory Thursday at John Cain Softball Field.
The win gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Region II-3A championship series, which resumes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Texas A&M University-Commerce If a third game is needed, it will follow a 30-minute intermission after Game 2.
The winner advances to the 3A state tournament next week in Austin.
Both innings the Bulldogs (23-9) scored, Hughes Springs (33-3) answered with bigger innings.
“In the middle innings, we got away from our gameplan, but we got back to our gameplan there at the end,” Hughes Springs coach Tisha Thompson said. “We’ve preached to the girls at all times to respond to adversity.
“We don’t usually come out and build a huge lead early on teams; we’ve usually had to fight the whole time.”
Zoe Lanier earned the pitching win for the Mustangs, working four innings in the start. Marisol Kennedy pitched the final three frames.
Lanier had 72 pitches, gave up six hits, struck out one and walked one, and Kennedy allowed one run on three hits, fanned three and walked none.
Torrey Stubblefield took the loss for Howe, pitching all seven innings. She threw 97 pitches, was touched up for nine hits, fanned four, walked three and hit one.
Down 2-0, the Mustangs immediately went to work on Stubblefield in the bottom of the first.
Peyton Blythe drew a four-pitch walk, and she stole second. Shelbie Fickling blooped a 1-out single into shallow right-center field and advanced on the late throw to third.
Haylee Wilson’s low-liner went for a single past the bag at second, driving in both runs to tie the game. Marisol Kennedy lined a double to left-center, and designated player Abbye McKinney roped a standup double to the wall in right-center to drive in Wilson and Kennedy for a 4-2 Hughes Springs lead.
Blythe again worked a leadoff walk in the second, swiped second, was sacrificed to third and scored on Fickling’s groundout to shortstop to make it 5-2.
Erin Blackburn grounded a single to right to start the game for the Bulldogs, and a walk put two on. Madisyn Hargrove’s line-drive single to right held up long enough to hold the runner at second, leaving the bases loaded with no outs.
A pair of fielder’s choice grounders gave Howe a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs got hits from Dani Ross, Emily Sanders and Blackburn, who was 3 for 4, in the fourth to load the bases. However, Lanier and the Mustangs worked out of the jam with no damage.
“When we messed up a little defensively (two errors), our pitchers picked it up a notch,” Thompson said. “We tell all the girls, ‘no matter what they do, do a better job. Stay within yourselves.’”
Payton Griffin belted a solo home run to lead off Howe’s sixth inning, cutting the Mustang lead to 5-3.
Hughes Springs responded with three in the bottom of the frame.
Kensley Echols singled to right to lead off the inning, and she moved all the way to third on a pair of groundouts.
Katelyn Roth legged out an infield single to plate Echols, and Blythe doubled into the left-field corner to send Roth racing all the way home from first. After a walk, Fickling doubled in Blythe to make it 8-3.
Kennedy was 2 for 3 with her double, Fickling was 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI, and Blythe and McKinney also had doubles, McKinney scoring three times. Howe 200 001 0—3 9 0 Hughes Springs 410 003 x—8 9 2 Torrey Stubblefield and Emily Sanders. Zoe Lanier, Marisol Kennedy (5) and Kennedi Northam. WP-Lanier. LP-Stubblefield. HR: HOWE-Payton Griffin, 6th, none on.