The Varsity Lady Eagle softball team was able to pick up four wins while only dropping two games over the weekend in the Salado-East View Tournament. On the weekend the Eagles were able to earn wins against Harker Hts. 6-3, Lampasas 6-0, Bastrop 16-2 and Austin LBJ 14-0. The losses were to Elgin 5-0 and Centex rival Troy 11-4
SHS 6
HHHS 3
The Eagles got the weekend and the home tournament off with an early morning win over the Lady Knights from Harker Heights 6-3. The Lady Knights opened up the top of the first inning by pushing across two runs for the early lead. The Eagles would answer and scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning. In the top of the third inning the visitors would tie the game up at 3-3 before the home team was able to retake the lead the bottom of the third when Katey Bartek (Jr) led the inning off with a triple and the next batter Brie Waters (So.) laced a double to center field, bringing home Bartek. The final two runs scored by the Eagles were scored in bottom of the fourth inning using a lead off walk by Victoria Giganti(Sr), a single by Lexi Dudeczka (So), a fielder’s choice off the bat of Bartek brought home Giganti and a second fielders choice this one by Angel Van de Plas (Jr). That would be all the scoring for the game by either team, as the Eagles were able to turn in a solid defensive performance the remainder of the game for the win.
SHS 0
EHS 5
The Eagle bats were silenced by Elgin’s Jessica Cantrell who allowed only two hits and struck out nine while allowing no walks. With the Eagle bats quiet, the Eagles were able to keep the game close at 2-0, but a three run top of the sixth by the Lady Kats did in the Eagles.
SHS 6
LHS 0
Day Two started with the Eagles defeating Lampasas 6-0. Sophomore Brie Waters picked up her second win in two days. The Eagles using eight hits for the game which included extra base hits by Brie Waters with a double and triples from Katey Bartek and Victoria Giganti the Lady Eagles were able to score six runs. The trio of extra base hitters teamed up with Harley Drouillard (Jr) to all collect 2 hits a piece. Bartek, Waters and Lexi Dudeczka each had two RBI for the game. In the circle Waters was able to limit the Lady Badgers to one hit while striking out three.
SHS 16
BHS 2
Junior pitcher Brooke McLaurin was able to earn her first win of the season in the 16-1 “Mercy Rule” shortened game over Bastrop. Offensively the Eagles collected eight hits with Waters going 2-2 with a double and five RBI, Harley Drouillard (Jr) also added a double of her own and brought in two RBI. Other hits came from Dudeczka, Ryley Litchfield (Fr), Bartek and Victoria Giganti. Bartek also had four RBI for the game.
SHS 14
LBJ 0
Sophomore Hannah Hudson making her first start in the circle for the Eagles was able to scatter three hits and struck out six while allowing no walks in the run ruled shortened
game. For the day the Eagle offensive used five hits which included a triple by Drouillard, a double by Waters and singles by Litchfield, Kaelyn Houston (So) and Brooklyn Williamson (Jr) along with nine base on balls to score fourteen runs.
SHS 4
THS 11
The Eagles dropped the final game of the tournament to Centex rival Troy on March 5.
The Trojanettes were able to jump on the Eagles early and led 6-0 after two innings. In the bottom of the third inning the Lady Eagles were able to push across two runs to show a little life offensively with four innings to play. A five run top of the fifth inning dashed the home team’s hopes as the Trojanettes went up 11-2. Facing the Mercy Rule the Eagles fought hard to prevent the run rule loss by pushing across single runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings. However the visitors from up I-35 were able to put together a solid defense effort to keep the Eagles from rallying. The home team was able to collect 13 hits and outhit the Trojanettes but a major difference in the game were the amount of walks the visitors were able to earn and take advantage of. Troy worked nine base on balls for the game while only allowing three for Eagles.
Final results of the three day Salado-East View Varsity Softball Tournament. Games were played at the Salado H.S Sports Complex and Patriot Park on the campus of Georgetown East View H.S
Final Standings:
Cameron 6-0
Elgin 5-1
Troy 4-2
Salado 4-2
Copperas Cove 3-3
Harker Hts. 3-3
East View 3-2*
Lampasas 1-5
Austin LBJ 0-6
Bastrop 0-5*
* East View and Bastrop elected not to play Saturday morning due to athletes attending Regional powerlifting.
LRHS 6
SHS 5
After getting off to a great start by scoring two runs in each of the first and second innings and holding a 5-1 advantage after four innings of play the Eagles could not prevent an Academy rally which saw the visitors outscore the home team 5-0 over the final three innings. The lost the first of the young season took the Eagle record to 3-1.
The game got off to a promising start for the Eagles as lead off hitter Lexi Dudeczka ripped a triple down the right field line. One batter later Ryley Litchfield hit a deep sac-fly to right field to bring home Dudeczka. Katey Bartek would follow Litchfield’s at bat with a double to center field. One batter later Bartek would come home on a double by Brie Waters. Waters’ courtesy runner Kaylyn Houston would be left stranded at third base to end the inning. For the night the Eagles would end up leaving 5 runners stranded in scoring position.
In the second inning the Eagles brought in two more runs to push the score to 4-0. For the inning three singles and an error off the bats of Angel Van de Plas , Victoria Giganti and Litchfield. The Lady Bees were able to take advantage of a lead off walk to start the top of third and two singles to plate their first run of the evening.
The Eagles would answer the Lady Bees run with a single run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Van de Plas worked a base on balls to get things started and would advance to second on a hit and run by Giganti, Van de Plas scored on a single by Dudeczka. The Eagles would leave runners on second and third to end the inning.
The Lady Bees would plate a single run in the fifth and two runs each in the top of the sixth and seventh innings to take the lead at 6-5. The Eagles tried to rally in bottom of the seventh but the tying run was left stranded to end the game.