Aledo senior catcher Landri Mays' two-out blast to right-centerfield drove in pinch runner Gracie King in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Ladycats a 5-4 victory over the Burleson Lady Elks in a key District 8-5A softball game Tuesday night at AHS.
The win elevates the Ladycats' district mark to 9-3, while Burleson drops to 7-5. The Ladycats can clinch second place with wins over Granbury and Cleburne - the last two district games left on the schedule.
Relief pitcher Megan Reynolds, who pitched the final two frames, was the winning pitcher.
Mays' game-winning hit closed a comeback that started in the seventh inning.
Aledo trailed 4-2 after Burleson scored in the top of the seventh inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Bailee Whitener ripped a one-out double to left and Mays followed with a base hit to put runners on first and third.
Krissy Johnson came in to courtesy run for Mays, and Johnson promptly stole second base to put two runners in scoring position. The next batter, Heidi Fischer, hit into a fielder's choice ground out that drove in Whitener to cut the Lady Elks' lead to 4-3.
Mykayla Stroud followed and launched a single to right field that plated Johnson to tie the game, 4-4. Stroud went three-for-three at the plate - including two doubles - to lead the Ladycats.
Burleson almost took the lead in the top of the eight, but Aledo third baseman Whitener threw out a Burleson runner at the plate after the runner tried to score on a dropped pop up to the infield.
The Ladycats loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth as Hannah Andrews singled, Kadyn Kirkpatrick was hit by a pitch and Hallie Smith blooped a single to center.
Burleson struck out the next batter as Aledo had the bases full with one out. The next batter, Whitener, hit a line shot that should have been the game winner. But the Burleson shortstop made a diving catch to temporarily keep the game tied.
That set up Mays for her game-winning hit that lifted the Ladycats into second place in District 8-5A.
Centennial 2, Bearcats 1
Burleson Centennial scored two runs on two hits in the bottom of the seventh inning to come from behind and defeat the Aledo Bearcats, 2-1, Tuesday night in a District 8-5A baseball game at Centennial.
The loss drops the Bearcats to 6-3 in district play, while first-place Centennial raises its 8-5A mark to 8-1.
Cody Bradford took the loss, allowing two runs on six hits with one walk and nine strikeouts. Payton Strambler was the winning pitcher, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings.
The Bearcats lone run came on a solo home run by Cam Caldwell in the fifth inning.
For the complete story on both games see the April 15 issue of The Community News.
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