Friday, April 19, 2024
A pair of district losses to China Spring and Connally has left the Gatesville Lady Hornets softball team with work to do to clinch a playoff spot in 23-4A.
The Lady Hornets fell 8-7 to The Lady Cougars on Monday, then lost 13-3 to Connally on Tuesday leaving them 3-5 in league play with two games remaining.
A win in either of their final two games – at Salado and home against Waco La Vega – and two China Spring losses would lock up the No. 4 seed for Gatesville. China Spring faces district leaders Salado and Robinson in their two remaining games.
A pair of wins and two Connally losses would secure the No. 3 seed for the Lady Hornets, and a potential playoff for the No. 3 seed is also still in play between Gatesville and Connally.
The Lady Hornets’ loss to China Spring was a makeup game that was postponed due to inclement weather on April 7 and was a back-and-forth battle – particularly in the middle innings.
China Spring scored once in the top of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead but Gatesville responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 edge. It was short-lived as the Lady Cougars snatched the lead back with a three-run top of the third inning.
Down 4-3 in the bottom of the third the Lady Hornets struck again for three runs and a 6-4 lead. Kagen Hunt and Ibet Carmona drew a pair of walks and Hunt scored on an error to make it 4-4. Lauren Stuard drove in courtesy runner Aliyah Trotter and Kallie Featherston with a single to center field to give Gatesville the 6-4 lead.
China Spring came back with two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, and one in the top of the seventh to take an 8-6 lead into Gatesville’s final at-bat.
After a strikeout, the Lady Hornets ripped off three straight singles from Carmona, Featherston, Stuard. Grace Carothers then laced a sacrifice fly to score Carmona to make it 8-7, but the ensuing throw to third was there in time to double off the runner and end the game.
Stuard and Kinlee Gardner each had two hits while Hunt walked three times and scored two runs. Featherston scored twice and stole a base.
In the loss to Connally, the Lady Hornets led 2-0 after their half of the first inning but would score just one more run along the way.
Kinlee Gardner and Brinlee Ford led the Lady Hornets’ offense with two hits apiece while Hunt drove in two runs. Lauren Stuard had Gatesville’s other RBI in the top of the third.
Gatesville traveled to Salado on Friday and will wrap the regular season at home against La Vega on April 18. A playoff berth for Gatesville would likely mean a first-round matchup with the 24-4A champion or runner-up. Through April 12, Burnet led the district with Georgetown Gateway Prep in second place. The Lady Hornets defeated Gateway Prep 3-2 on Feb. 16.
