Ladycats unblemished in district, look invincible

It’s been two weeks since the Aledo Ladycats softball team surrendered a run to an opponent. With wins in the past week over Wichita Falls Rider and Northwest, not only has Aledo managed to remain undefeated in District 5-5A competition, but they’ve extended their reign of decimation to 19 consecutive games without a loss.

Since starting their District 5-5A schedule back on March 5, the Ladycats (23-2 overall, 8-0 in district) have allowed just two opposing runners to cross home plate. They have a firm hold on first place in the league with just four district games remaining.

The dominance continued with a 10-0 win on Tuesday, April 2, when the first-place Ladycats hosted the last-place Northwest Lady Texans. Head coach Heather Myers has stressed all season that they need to be disciplined in their approach at the plate. Her goal has been for her team to draw more walks than strikeouts over the season.

On Tuesday, that was certainly the case. Aledo earned eight free passes, along with three Ladycats getting plunked by the Northwest pitcher. Meanwhile, not a single Ladycat batter struck out, as the home team cruised to a 10-0 win in five innings.

Brenlee Gonzales threw a complete-game shutout as she gave up a lone hit while striking out nine Lady Texans.

Whoa, Taylor!

Taylor McKean has been nothing short of spectacular in the circle for the Ladycats this season. Thursday’s (March 28) 6-0 win against Wichita Falls Rider was no exception.

The young right-hander features a fastball that gets on hitters quick. Her rise ball climbs the ladder on hitters, making it virtually impossible to hit the middle of the softball. And if that wasn’t enough to make opposing batters shutter at the thought of stepping into the box, her changeup is absolutely filthy.

While the Ladycats didn’t have their best offensive output of the season, the six runs they put on the board were more than enough to secure the win with McKean obliterating the Lady Raiders at the dish. Kennis Marx capped off Aledo’s offensive production with a home run and a pair of RBI.

With the Ladycats in the field, McKean did what she does best - shut it down. She threw a complete game two-hitter against Rider while striking out 17 batters in seven innings of work.

On the road

The Ladycats will be back in action on Friday, April 5, when they head north to Saginaw for a district matchup against the Lady Rough Riders. Presently, Saginaw is sitting in fourth place in District 5-5A with a 3-4 record.

First pitch in that game is slated for 6:30 pm.

Aledo vs. Northwest – Tues, April 2

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \         R\  H\ \E

Northwest 000 00X X - 0\ \1\ \0

Ladycats\ \ \ 151 21X X - 10\ \7\ \0

Aledo hitting: Addie Perry 1-for-1, 2 R, 2 BB, HBP; Delaney Rosser 1-for-1, HBP, R, 2 RBI; Ana Flores HBP, R, RBI; Marina Taveras 1-for-2, R, 2 RBI, BB; Kyleigh Pawlak 2-for-2, R, 3 RBI, BB; Kennis Marx 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI; T McKenzie 1-for-3; Brenlee Gonzales BB; Austyn Marriage 3 BB, 2 R.

Aledo pitching: Brenlee Gonzales 5 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

Aledo vs. Wichita Falls Rider – Thurs, Mar 28

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \         R\ H\ \E

Rider\ \ \ \ 000 000 0 - 0\ \2\ \1

Ladycats\ \ \ 010 023 X - 6\ \7\ \0

Aledo hitting: Addie Perry 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI; Delaney Rosser 1-for-2, 2B, HBP, R, BB; Ana Flores 2-for-3, 3B, R, RBI; Brenlee Gonzales 1-for-4, SB; Kyleigh Pawlak 1-for-3, SB, 3B, R; G Jones BB, SB; Breleigh Mayer BB; R Marx 1-for-1, R; Austyn Marriage 2 BB, R.

Aledo pitching: Taylor McKean 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 17 K.