La Vernia swept the Salado Lady Eagles in the bi-district round of the 4A UIL softball playoffs on May 1-2, ending Salado’s season. The La Vernia Lady Bears are the 26-4A District Champions. They will face Columbus in the Area round of the playoffs.

Salado was the fourth-place team in District 25-4A, which had three top 20 teams in it — Burnet, Lampasas and Liberty Hill — that finished in a three-way tie for the championship. All three beat their first round opponents.

Burnet beat Goliad 3-2 and 4-1. Lampasas beat Cuero 10-0 and 9-2. Liberty Hill beat Yoakum 5-0 and 14-1.

La Vernia 5

Salado 3

With two singles, a double and a triple in the top of the seventh, the La Vernia Lady Bears took a 5-3 lead in the second game to win  the best-of-three series with the Salado Lady Eagles on May 2.

Maria Bernanzes led off with a single, followed by a single from Kailee Wegehaupt. Rachel Goddard was hit by pitcher Meagan Hill to load the bases. Madeline Cantu doubled to knock in two runs and Alisen Saenz hit a triple to deep centerfield to score two more runs with no outs. Saenz scored on a single by Rene Cummings.

Saenz hit two doubles earlier in the game to lead the Lady Bears, but was left stranded both times.

Salado took an early lead in the second game, scoring one run in the bottom of the first. Madeline Murray led off the game being hit by La Vernia pitcher Cummings. She advanced on groundouts to the pitcher by Payton Dreitz and  Malory Schattle. Hill doubled to left to score Murray.

Salado added two runs in the fifth. Schattle was hit by the pitcher and advanced on a single by Hill. She stole third base and an error by the third baseman allowed her to score and Hill to go to take second and third bases. Cece Cantu walked and Bailey Tindell grounded out to the shortstop to score Hill.

Murray had a two-out single in the sixth but was left stranded on base.

Corley Carpenter got the win for La Vernia after she retired two batters in the fifth, gave up one hit in the sixth and forced three other in-field groundouts and retired three batters in the sixth with a fly-out, a ground out and a strike out.

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Photos by Kristi Tindell

Salado 3

La Vernia 12

Salado Lady Eagles held the LaVernia Lady Bears scoreless through two innings of their first game in a best-of-three series May 1, leading 3-0 before the Lady Bears scored three runs in the third, five in the fourth and four in the sixth for the win.

Madeline Murray led off the bottom of the first with a single, advancing on a sacrifice by Payton Dreitz and scoring on a triple to deep right field. Meagan Hill walked and the Lady Bears were able to get two quick outs to retire the side to keep the base runners from scoring.

La Vernia scored three runs on just one hit, a two-run double by Anne Roswell, in the third. None of them were earned runs.

They added five runs in the fourth, one of them an earned run on two hits. Rene Cummings hit a one-run single and Corley Carpenter hit a two-run double before Salado could get the third out.

La Vernia loaded the bases with singles by Alisen Saenz, Addison Dennis and Rene Cummings, all knocked home by a triple by Corley Carpenter in the sixth. Carpenter scored before the last two outs were recorded to give the Lady Bears a 12-3 lead.