Salado Lady Eagles are alone at the top of District 19-4A and propelled themselves into the Top 15 in 4A softball when they beat the 12th ranked Liberty Hill Lady Panthers 4-3 last week.

Liberty Hill 3

Salado 4

Salado Lady Eagles took the visiting Liberty Hill Lady Panthers into extra innings to beat the state-ranked district foe 4-3 on March 20.

Liberty Hill led after scoring two runs in the third. Ashlen Darner hit a 2 RBI single.

The Lady Eagles scored three runs in the bottom of the third to take a slim 3-2 lead. With one out in the inning, Elizabeth Ford tripled to center and scored on a wild pitch. Piper Randolph walked and stole second base before Liberty Hill pitcher Abby Covington caught a pop up by Ryley Oborski for the first out. Breigh Oliver walked and both runners stole base. Christin Wilson singled, knocking in both runners. Amanda Cant singled and both runners were left stranded when Covington struck out the next batter.

In the sixth, Liberty Hill tied the game when Kandryn Faurie hit a single to push Covington, who reached after being hit by a pitch, across the plate.The Eagles defense was stingy in the extra innings, as Piper Randolph and Christin Wilson combined to put three batters out in the eighth. Bailey Tindell struck out two batters in the ninth. Shortstop Breigh Oliver caught an infield fly for the other out. Second base Amanda Cantu and Randolph threw out batters trying to reach first in the final frame for Liberty Hill.

One batter reached base in the extra innings for Liberty Hill: Ireland Sarget who hit a double with no outs in the ninth and was left stranded on second.

The Lady Panther defense was equally tough as only Erin Faske reached (on a walk) in the eighth and ninth innings.

Oliver walked to lead off the bottom of the 10th. She stole second and went to third on an error that put Wilson on first. Amanda Cantu knocked in the winning run for Salado.

Tindell threw 135 pitches in her marathon appearance on the mound. She faced 39 batters and threw 88 strikes. She hit one batter, walked two more and allowed seven hits. Tindell struck out nine batters.