The Ladycats won game one 2-1 on April 23 at home, lost game two 7-3 at Birdvile on April 24, and won game three 10-0 by run-rule at Kennedale on April 25.
Aledo and the the Lady Hawks have some recent history, having played the previous season in the regional finals. While the Ladycats still breezed through district this season, Birdville finished second in its district to Richland.
Still it was a tough matchup on paper for the bi-district round as the two teams kicked off the series, but Aledo was favored to win.
Tempe Perry started the series for Aledo on the mound and despite hitting the first batter she faced, she and the defense found ways to keep Lady Hawk base runners from getting home, no matter what jams they faced most of the series.
It was a scoreless game as Ladycat hitters tried to get used to the high velocity and quality of Birdville pitcher Reagan Jordan, something the team hadn’t faced since before district play. In the third inning, Aledo took advantage of the opportunity it got.
Kellyn Overturff, who is starting at center field ever since regular starter Jordyn Edington went down with an arm injury in the last few district games, led off with a single. Two batters later, Overturff stole second base before Delaney Rosser ripped a triple to drive her in. Next batter was Perry, who drove her in with a single to put the Ladycats up 2-0.
That would prove all the run support Aledo needed in a low-scoring game.
Birdville’s best chance to tie or take the lead came in the sixth inning. With a runner on second base, a batter hit a single into the outfield. The ball was thrown into the infield, but was mishandled for an error, allowing the runner to come in and score to cut the lead to 2-1 while the hitter to reached second base.
With only one out, a runner in scoring position and the Ladycats committing their first error of the game, this could have spiraled more. It looked like it was going to with the next batter also hitting a single and putting runners at the corners.
Perry got out of the jam, inducing a harmless pop up to shortstop and a ground out to third base for out three.
From there Aledo held on to secure the 2-1 victory.
Rosser and Perry had one RBI each. With Rosser’s triple being the only extra base hit of the game and with the Ladycats ending with only four hits and three walks, converting that opportunity proved to the difference in the game.
On the mound, Perry pitched the whole game and allowed only four hits while allowing one run. She struck out five batters and walked none though she hit two batters.
Game two started differently for Aledo. Lily Heckathorn got the start on the mound and unfortunately got into a jam, The bases were loaded with only one out after a hit batter, a walk and an intentional walk. The next batter hit a line drive into right field that resulted in an error. Two runs came in to score, but Aledo did get the batter out at second base.
Perry was subbed in at pitcher got out three on a ground at third base.
Down 2-0 in the third inning. Rosser hit a solo home run over the left field wall to cut the lead to 2-1.
Perry got into a jam in the same inning. Two singles and an error at third base loaded the bases up, but Perry froze the next batter with a breaking ball for strike three to get out of the inning unscathed.
In the fourth inning the Lady Hawks were threatening again. With two outs, Birdville got on with a single and a walk, but Perry got the next batter to fly out to center field for out three.
Unfortunately, the fifth inning was the one where the Lady Hawks’ constant offensive pressure broke through to add to their lead.
After a leadoff double, Perry and the defense retired the next two batters before Birdville got on a two-out rally. The next batter hit a ground ball to second base that resulted in an error that allowed one run to come in. That was followed with a single to put runners on first and second base.
Marx came in to pitch relief for Aledo to try and get the final out of the inning. Unfortunately, the next batter hit a line drive single into right field that drove in another run.
The next batter hit a three-run home run over the left field fence. Birdville now led 7-1.
Still, Aledo players did not show they were dejected and kept on playing and fighting. Before the end of the game, the Ladycats showed some life that would serve them well in their next game.
In the final inning, Kayleigh Martin led off with a walk. After the next two batters were retired, Rosser was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Perry came through with a double, driving in both base runners to cut the lead to 7-3, which would be the final score.
Perry led the team with two RBI and a double while Rosser’s solo home run were the offensive highlightss. The Ladycats finished with three hits, four walks and were hit by one pitch.
Perry had the most extensive time on the mound, pitching four innings while allowing three runs, zero earned runs, on five hits while striking out four. Aledo finished with an uncharacteristic three fielding errors.
Despite the team’s first loss in nearly two months, the Ladycats had less than 24 hours to shake it off and get ready for game three, played at noon the next day.
“Morale wise, it lit a fire,” Coach Heather Myers said. “We knew we needed to play clean defense and manufacture runs where we can. So we had a goal to focus on moving into game three.”
Perry got the start on the mound for Aledo and from the start she was under pressure as Birdville led off with a double, hoping to continue where it left off from the night before. The Lady Hawks loaded the bases with an infield hit and a walk, but Perry got out of the jam with with a strikeout for out three.
In the second inning, the Ladycats were able to score first with textbook small ball play. Martin led off and got on base as she got hit by a pitch. Next batter Brooklynn Taloa drew a walk. Brylee Gray laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both base runners before Overturff hit a sacrifice fly ball to drive in the game’s first run as Aledo led 1-0.
In the third inning, a one-out walk and later a two-out single again saw an opportunity for Birdville to score. Again, Perry got another clutch strikeout for out three
Perry then helped her cause with her bat in the same inning, hitting a solo home run over the center field wall to up the Ladycats’ lead to 2-0.
The fourth inning saw the Lady Hawks get their leadoff on base. Her hit was deflected off of Perry who could not collect it in time and resulted in an error. Two batters later, a hit batter put two base runners on once again with only one out. Again, Perry and the defense came through.
The next batter hit a fly out in left field before the next batter grounded out to third base for out three.
In the fifth inning, Birdville got a runner on base with one out after Perry hit a batter. After a strikeout for out two, the next batter hit a single that put runners at the corners. Thankfully, the next batter popped up harmlessly to second base for out three as Aledo dodged another bullet.
A similar scenario happened in the sixth inning. With one out a hit batter put one runner on base and it was followed by a walk. The next batter hit a line drive to left field, but Kennedy Cardenas laid out for a diving out that also kept the runners from advancing. The next batter grounded out to the shortstop who got the lead runner out at third base for the third out.
The Ladycat bats then exploded in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Kyleigh Pawlak led off with a single, but advanced to second base thanks to an error handling the ball. A ground out helped move her to third base where next batter Martin drove her in with a single. It was only the beginning though.
Taloa then hit a single up the middle, but an error getting the ball in allowed the base runner to score and Taloa to end up on third base. Gray next grounded out to second base, but it drove in Taloa to put Aledo up 5-0.
Overturff followed with a drawn walk before Breleigh Mayer hit a two-run home run over the center field wall as the Ladycats and their fans were buzzing. That level hit catatonic levels as next batter Rosser followed with another home run, a solo shot over the left field wall.
What was once a low-scoring, edge of your seat series was turning into a runaway and the Ladycats weren’t done.
Up 8-0 and with all the momentum in the world, Aledo batters went for the kill.
Perry and Pawlak followed with singles. Marx then drove one run in with a single, but advanced to second on the throw.
Myers pinch hit Maddy Martinakwho hit a ground ball to second base that resulted in an error, allowing the series winning run to come in.
The Ladycats won the deciding game by run-rule 10-0 in the sixth inning, with eight runs coming in the final inning. In comparison, Aledo had scored seven runs in the previous 18 innings combined.
Rosser, Perry, and Mayer each hit home runs during the game, with Mayer leading the team with two RBI. In the end, six different players drove in at least one run in the game. In total Aledo finished with 11 hits while drawing two walks and getting hit by one pitch.
On the mound, Perry pitched a six inning shutout while allowing four hits and striking out six batters. The defense committed one fielding error.
“Tempe and I sat down on Saturday morning and mapped out a game plan to focus on in order to efficiently attack Birdville's hitters,” Myers said. “After two games, we had a pretty good idea of how to keep them off balance and get easier outs for our defense. We also had a pitch that we didn't use more than one or two times throughout the previous games. So being able to implement that pitch along with her others really helped change the pace of the game.”
The win proved extra sweet that day as the modest Birdville student section kept up a string of smack talk throughout the game that went quiet during the sixth inning explosion.
“The student section should have never been allowed to talk to our girls,” Myers said. “Student sections are there to cheer on their team only. That being said, yes they were saying things they shouldn't have and it did fan the flames for our girls. We played lock down defense and didn't crumble under the hateful words being spoken. I was very proud of the maturity they showed in the face of that verbal abuse.”
The win allowed to Aledo to move on to the area round where it played Paschall in a one game series on Wednesday. See The May 1 issue of The Community News and corresponding digital coverage for that story.
Ladycats 2, Birdville 1
RHE
B’ville 000 001 0 - 1 4 0
Aledo 002 000 x - 2 4 1
Aledo offense: Delaney Rosser one hit, one triple, one RBI, one run, one walk; Tempe Perry one hit, one RBI; Kellyn Overturff one hit, one run, two steals; Brooklynn Taloa one hit; Kyleigh Pawlak one walk, one steal; Breleigh Mayer one walk.
Aledo pitching: Tempe Perry (W) seven innings, four hits, one run, five strikeouts.
Birdville 7, Ladycats 3
RHE
Aledo 001 000 2 - 3 3 3
B’ville 200 050 x - 7 8 1
Aledo offense: Tempe Perry one hit, one double, two RBIs; Delaney Rosser one hit, one home run, one RBI, two runs, one hit by pitch; Kyleigh Pawlak one hit; Rylee Marx one walk; Gigi Martinez one walk; Kennedy Cardenas one walk; Kayleigh Martin one walk.
Aledo pitching: Lily Heckathorn (L) 0.2 innings, two runs, zero earned runs, two walks; Tempe Perry four innings, five hits, three runs, zero earned runs, four strikeouts, one walk; Rylee Marx 1.1 innings, three hits, two runs, three walks.
Ladycats 10, Birdville 0
RHE
B’ville 000 000 - 0 4 3
Aledo 011 008 - 10 11 1
Aledo offense: Breleigh Mayer one hit, one home run, two RBIs, one run; Dalaney Rosser two hits, one home run, one RBI, one run; Tempe Perry two hits, one home run, one RBI, two runs; Kayleigh Martin two hits, one RBI, one run, one hit by pitch; Kellyn Overturff one RBI, one run, one walk; Rylee Marx one hit, one RBI; Brylee Gray one RBI; Kyleigh Pawlak two hits, two runs; Brooklynn Taloa one hit, one run, one walk; Maddy Martinak one run.
Aledo pitching: Tempe Perry (W) six innings, four hits, six strikeouts, three walks.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here