The Lady Cats softball team won both games of their double-header in Marshall versus Lufkin on Friday, Apr. 30 to win the best-of-three series to move on to the area round of playoffs.
Sulphur Springs came out with a vengeance in Game 1, scoring 5 runs in the first two innings to quickly take a 5-0 lead over the Lady Pack.
Bryant pitched a perfect game, pitching a complete 5 inning game while striking out 13 Lady Pack batters. Bryant did not allow a single run nor walked a Lufkin batter in Game 1. The dynamite ace was also solid behind the plate, knocking a two-out, 2 RBI double to make the score 2-0 in the bottom of the first.
CF Jadyn Harper also crushed a three-run home run to make the score 5-0 in the second. 1B Nylah Lindley got a two-run home run of her own which made the score 7-0. A few batters later Grace Magnuson joined the RBI party, making it 8-0 over Lufkin after four full innings.
The game was called after 5 with Sulphur Springs shutting out Lufkin 10-0 in Game 1 of Friday’s double header.
All the Lady Cats had to do now was win Game 2 of the double-header and they would be in the next round of playoffs.
Game 2, however, would not be as easy for Sulphur Springs as Game 1 of the double-header was, and the second game was closer than the 9-2 final score indicated.
The Lady Cats again jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Lufkin got their first run of the day in the bottom of the second to make it a one run, 2-1 lead for Sulphur Springs.
Coach David Carrillo and his squad answered with 4 more runs of their own, as the Lady Cats imposed their momentum at 6-1 in the top of the third.
The Lady Pack fought back, realizing their season was in danger of coming to a close, but Sulphur Springs never let up, proceeding to score 3 of the final 4 runs en route to a 9-2 victory in Game 2.
SS Parris Pickett got the scoring started for Sulphur Springs in the bottom of the second when she crushed a line drive to center field to get both her and DP Addison DeSmet home to make it an early 2-0 lead over Lufkin.
Even though the Lady Pack got a run of their own, 3B Addison Caddell would not let Lufkin gain momentum when she sent a 2 RBI double to left field to extend the Lady Cats lead to three at 4-1. The Lady Cats scored 11 runs on 9 hits but committed four errors as a team.
Sulphur Springs outscored Lufkin 19-2 in the Bi-District round series on Friday.
Not only that, but in the 12 innings played in total, in six of the innings the Lady Cats scored 2+ runs. To say Coach Carrillo’s team was offensively efficient would be generous.
The 10-0 shutout victory in Game 1 and 9-2 win in Game 2 gave the Lady Cats a quick 2-0 sweep over the Lufkin Lady Pack in the Bi-District round of playoffs.
Perhaps most importantly, Sulphur Springs, by winning both games in Marshall on Friday avoided a Game 3, winner-take-all scenario, which would have taken place at noon tomorrow in Whitehouse.
Instead, the Co-District Champion and #1 seeded Lady Cats move on to the Area round of playoffs. The pair of wins from the double-header increase the softball team’s season record to 24-3 overall (11-1 district). The two wins versus Lufkin on Friday, Apr. 30 also gave Coach Carrillo’s squad their 15th straight win.
Next up, the Lady Cats softball team will be participating in the Area round of playoffs.
Sulphur Springs will be taking on familiar foe Crandall with the dates and times of those games yet to be determined.
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